UWomen Magazine™ - Inspire Change

Everyone Plays a Role to SupportHER™

According to the United Nations Progress on the Sustainability Development Goals, it will take 286 years to close the global gender gap. Women’s representation in positions of power and decision-making remains below parity. We need visible representation at all levels where decisions are made.

• Equal pay, flexible working environments

• Nominate a Woman and celebrate her accomplishments

• Be a visible SupportHER™, Nominate a Company – Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) SupportHER™ Champion

• Invest in her company, products/services

• Shared the responsibilities of unpaid work

• Write a testimonial on LinkedIn, Letter of Reference, or introduction to a key contact

• Ask her how your can SupportHER™

• Host a panel, engage your workforce to participate

• Lead by example and hold others accountable

• Educate yourself and others on the barriers

• Remove the barriers and biases in the workplace

• Use your platform to create awareness, recognize leaders

Join us June 2, 2023 for the inaugural International SupportHER™ Day!

The Universal Womens Network™ is Inspiring Change to invite our allies to the conversation and challenging everyone to play a role to advance women in our networks, workplaces and communities. Be a visible SupportHER™ ally for gender equality.

We believe everyone plays a role to advance women and close the gap. Inviting our allies to be part of the solution. Together we are stronger.

• Be a champion for her even when she is not present

• Open doors to key contacts and people in positions of power

• Create Supplier Diversity Program and invest in women-owned companies and visible minorities

• Female representation where decisions are made

• Invest into training programs to empower women in leadership roles

• SupportHER™ culture in your workplace, become SupportHER™ Certified

How to Participate? Take one action to be a visible SupportHER™

 Tell us how you SupportHER™

 Tag us on social #supportHER #InspireChange

 Help us spread the word to Inspire Change!

SupportHER™ ally is a champion (male or female, all genders) who promotes the success and advancement for women in their networks, workplaces, and communities. They are visible SupportHER™s for gender equality.

Contact us for sponsorship opportunities and programs to engage your workforce.

MARCH 2023 THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

PG. 42

Women of Inspiration™

Spotlight: Honourable Dr. Jean Augustine

PG. 34

Siobhan Calderbank

Dr. Nothabo Ncube

Evelyne Nyairo

Alison D. Springer

Evangeline Chima

Maryse Gordon

Kisa Caruthers

Embrace Equality: Celebrating Black History

SEEN, HEARD, VALUED

67 Humanizing Life as We Age by Aimee Foreman

68 How Your Values Support You by Lindsay Harle-Kadatz

70 Matricentric Feminism by Tina Powell

72 The Forefront of Intimacy by Theano Evagelou

SUPPORTHER™

Inspiring Change

SupportHER™ Day

20 International SupportHER™ Day June 2, 2023

SupportHER™ Spotlight

24 Kyla Lee & Paul Doroshenko

UWN SHOP – Gifts for you or someone that inspires you!

PRESENTED BY

PG. 74

PG. 47

2022 Women of Inspiration™ Winners Feature

PG. 76

M LIST – Monica’s Favourite Things!

TRIBUTE TO ALL WOMEN!!

“You want to be inspired – that’s what this book is. Story after story of inspirational women and SupportHER™ allies. Transformational and something that everyone should read. Women are driving change!”

LEADERSHIP IS NOT ABOUT NECESSARILY BEING THE LOUDEST IN THE ROOM, BUT INSTEAD BEING THE BRIDGE, OR THE THING THAT IS MISSING IN THE DISCUSSION AND TRYING TO BUILD A CONSENSUS FROM THERE.

– Jacinda Ardern, Former Prime Minister New Zealand

Dear Readers

Inspire Change

This new year is filled with hope, vision and opportunity to inspire change! As a women-owned company, riding the wave of the pandemic over the past three years was no easy feat. I feel like we all need a T-shirt that says, “I survived the pandemic”.

The silver lining in having come through it is we made it and we are stronger for the experience. We discovered a renewed appreciation for everyday freedoms, the value of connection and honouring our bigger purpose. With our resilience muscles flexed and a fearless attitude we are ready to inspire change in the year ahead.

In this issue, we feature our 2022 Women of Inspiration™ Award Winners from across five continents. Meet inspiring entrepreneurs and leaders raising the bar across diverse industries beyond the borders of Canada.

I am excited to spill the beans we are getting ready behind the scenes to roll out the red carpet to celebrate our 9th Women of Inspiration™ Awards. Save the date, November 3, to celebrate women who lead, inspire and motivate. Rub shoulders with the 2020, 2021, and 2022 winners strutting the red carpet with this year’s Top Women of Inspiration™ at our Oscar-style awards experience that is sure to be the party of the year.

Nominate a Woman of Inspiration™, a SupportHER™ or apply. Nominate a company to be listed as one of Canada’s Top Companies – Equity, Diversity & Inclusion SupportHER™ Champions. Check out the new Individual Award and Company Award Categories in this issue.

Since 2018, we have pioneered the path through our awards and our platform to invite men to the conversation as our allies and SupportHER™s. At a macro level, to reach equality, we need all hands on deck. We need men as our allies to inspire change and lead by example in their networks. workplaces and communities. It is critical for all leaders in positions of power to be visible SupportHER™ champions— both men and women. As parents, we must set an example for our future leaders.

The void of visible allies inspired me to create SupportHER™, knowing the women in the C-Suite didn’t get their alone. I did it for my son to have visible role models who champion for women, treat them as equals and lift them up instead of tearing them down. I am excited about declaring the first Friday this coming June International SupportHER™ Day.

Spread the word to SupportHER™, Friday, June 2 for the Inaugural SupportHER™ Day. The challenge? Take one action to SupportHER™. Share a pic, story, or initiative and tag us on social media using #SupportHERDay. Interested in becoming a Sponsor and getting your workforce involved? Let’s connect. Everyone plays a role to SupportHER™.

This issue captures a Tribute to Hazel (Hurricane) McCallion and highlights Elfriede Holtcamp—two Women of Inspiration™ Legends with a Lifetime of Achievement. Enjoy learning what it means to Celebrate Black History and more!

Our goal for the UWomen Magazine™ is to put women in the spotlight. This is but one media platform where we elevate the stories of the entrepreneurs, business leaders and companies from diverse industries committed to the advancement of women.

As always, I invite you to share the magazine with your network and reach out to chat about sponsorship or advertising opportunities.

Monica Kretschmer

Founder and CEO, Universal Womens Network™, Women of Inspiration™ Awards, SupportHER™

Photo: Phil Cro

A GLOBAL PLATFORM COMMITTED TO EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION.

UWN BECOME A MEMBER

The Universal Womens Network™ is a global platform committed to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), by raising the bar to advance women in their network, community, and workplaces. We recognize the achievements of women through the Women of Inspiration™ Awards. We are advocates of women-owned and women-led businesses, and champion female entrepreneurs along with allies who SupportHER™!

Our global network promotes the advancement of women. We recognize and celebrate thought leaders, business leaders, entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals from diverse industries and backgrounds and work with like-minded organizations committed to inclusivity and moving the needle to close the gender gap!

We are Stewards of Diversity™ and dedicated to the unity of humanity by acknowledging our differences, asking questions, and valuing voices at all levels. We do not tolerate bullying, hatred, or racism at any level.

The Universal Womens Network offers opportunity for business leaders, CEO’s, individuals or organizations at all levels to connect, learn, empower and celebrate. We are committed to elevating women to succeed personally and professionally. Learn about our Membership, Events, Leadership Programs, Success Summit, Women of Inspiration™ Awards, Women of Inspiration™ Book, Podcast, Universal Women-Led™ Certification, Universal Coach Masters™, Speaker Bureau and more!

Become a Member!

Centenarian: Hazel McCallion turned 100 on February 14, 2021

[ TRIBUTE – A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT ]

HAZEL MCCALLION

(1921 - 2023)

What inspired you to get involved with politics? I retired after 20 some years in the private sector. I was office manager of a large engineering contracting company. I got involved in Streetsville. My husband had a printing plant in Streetsville and when I retired, I got involved. I became president in Streetsville, in the district Chamber of Commerce and then I was asked to join the Street’s home planning board of the town of Streetsville. Later, I was encouraged to run as mayor or run for council.

The first time I ran for council, I didn’t win. The second time I ran in 1970, I won. I was Mayor of Streetsville from 1970 to 1974 and then the province brought along a regional government and put Streets, the whole Port Credit and the autonomous Mississauga together to form the city. I ran as counselor, representing Streetsville on the Mississauga council. Then in 1978, I ran as mayor of Mississauga and retired in 2014. I was Mississauga’s mayor for 46 years.

Tell us about your significant career milestones. In the fall of 1979, we had a major derailment in Mississauga during which we evacuated 250,000 people from our city. So, within a very short time of being Mayor, I was faced with my first major challenge. Together with a team of very good people including myself, city management personnel and provincial resources, we turned the Mississauga derailment crisis into a miracle. The miracle? There were no fatalities.

LIFETIME – Women of Inspiration™ Award Recipient

LIFETIME – 2021 Women of Inspiration™ Award Recipient

Women of Inspiration™ –

Women Driving Change

Book Contributor

Former Mayor, The City of Mississauga Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

We’re making great progress because of the determination of women that became independent. Women are quite capable of performing any job that exists in the world.

Tell us about how you and your team navigated through this disaster and put Mississauga on the map. There’s always an opportunity that comes with a challenge. Prior to the derailment, there were no regulations controlling the transportation of dangerous goods. And as a result of the Mississauga train derailment, Canada is safer today because there are regulations now that control the transportation of dangerous goods by truck, by air, by sea, and by every mode of transportation available.

We are experiencing an unprecedented time in our history with the global pandemic. What words of advice would you give leaders? The pandemic has clearly indicated to the government that everyone from families to community organizations cannot operate the way they once did. This is a major challenge. We must recognize it and take action to look at what improvements we can make socially and in the management of government funding.

And that’s the message that the pandemic has given the world. We have to look at how we have operated in the past and where it is not acceptable, we have to change. We have to look at how we can do a better job—how we can be more efficient, how we can do more and be less costly. We have to look at how we can help more people because there’s still a lot of poverty in the world.

What is your involvement in the community since your retirement? I’m on the airport board. I’m on the green saver board. I’m on the connect all board. I’m chief guardian of the hospitals in Mississauga. I am active— very, very active. I can’t sit around and not be doing something whether it is creating new ideas of how things can be operated or being very conscious of what’s happening in my local community, my province and my country. I say, “You have to be interested.”

What keeps you so motivated and driven. What is your secret? You have to be curious to know what’s going on and maybe have the opportunity—which I do have—to make a difference and offer suggestions. There are all kinds of opportunities to be active—all kinds of opportunities.

When you were 12, what did you want to be when you grew up? I left the Gaspé coast where I was born in Port Aniel during the depression. My two sisters put me through school and my business course in Montreal. One of my sisters was a schoolteacher and one was a nurse.

I went to work and from there on I was determined to be independent. I believe that if you work hard, are committed to your work and have a vision to be a success in whatever you undertake to do, it will inspire you to give your very best and be conscious of money. My first job paid me $12 a week. I paid $8 for board. I spent $2 on transportation and I put $2 in the bank.

You learn to take care of yourself. Because I could not phone home to mom and dad to send me money in Montreal, I had to become independent. And that is what is lacking in youth today. Their commitment to independence and giving their very best to whatever they do seems to be falling short.

What are the leadership traits that you are most proud of? Never overlook anything. I never overlook errors but I also give praise to say what a great job they did. You have to be positive as a leader, and you have to recognize the contribution that people make. This can not be overlooked. If you do, they overlook you. If you want to get the production that you need, you have to recognize people and say, “You’re doing a good job. Keep it up.” I had to prove to a lot of people that I wanted to work for them and with them.

What are some of the barriers you have seen women face and overcome in your lifetime? One area is in the field of politics. It’s been difficult for a woman to become Prime Minister of Canada. Why, it’s been difficult for a woman to

become premier of the provinces. Some have, but it’s still a long way from where it should be. We still have problems with women being accepted in boards. And then in the private sector there is a real push to have more women on boards of directors. Furthermore, women have not been recognized in the private sector as they should be. And they haven’t been recognized in politics the way they should be either. There’s great hope for the future, but we still have a long way to go. We need leaders to step up and take on that role and know that it is their role to pass the torch. Do you agree?

What piece of wisdom would you share with the young women or the youth today? Well, young women have got to become independent. They have to realize that they have the potential to do anything they want to do if they really want to do it. They can, you know, and I’m so thrilled, as the first chancellor of Sheridan College, to see women graduating as technicians, as engineers and as planners. I see young women determined to do any job a man can do like operate a bulldozer.

Women have to become completely independent if they want to survive in a man’s world because it is a man’s world still. We’re making great progress because of the determination of women that became independent. Women are quite capable of performing any job that exists in the world.

How important is it to elevate the men that are champions for women in their networks, workplaces and communities? Men have supported me all the way in the business world. I was supported by the president of the company. He saw I had the desire to succeed. I did extra things that he recognized and acknowledged. It’s the same in the political world. I didn’t just go to the office in the morning as mayor. I worked both day and night as mayor up to 11 o’clock answering calls. If somebody wanted to talk to the mayor, they got to talk to me. I chose to give them my time.

There’s great hope for the future, but we still have a long way to go. We need leaders to step up and take on that role and know that it is their role to pass the torch.

As a female leader in politics who has broken through glass ceilings, how did you navigate through those barriers? Well, I started out in the private sector, moved to a high position and then I got involved in politics where you have to work harder still. A woman has to work harder to get to a top position. There’s no question about it but you have to show your independence and your confidence in yourself. You have to show that you want to accomplish certain things and that you’re determined to do it and not be, you know, a wallflower. There are far too many women that want to be treated as wallflowers. A woman has to work harder, both in politics and in the private sector, to be recognized and to gain success. So some of those barriers to success are simply getting there in the first place to have that role.

And COVID-19 has really shone a light on the role of women raising kids and all of the domestic homelife duties…the bulk of which fall on the shoulders of women and then add caring for parents and extended family. It’s hard. There are sacrifices.

Do you think women can have it all? Have success? Do you think there’s a balance for them or is there always some sacrifice involved? Oh, there is a lot of sacrifice involved. There is a lot to working outside the home; you have to plan every day. You don’t get up in the morning and ask yourself what you are going to do today. You plan before you go to bed at night. Planning is the key to life. It’s the key to building a community. It’s the key to building a company. It’s the key to building a family. It’s the key to life. Planning.

What are you most proud of in terms of what you have achieved in your life? I took a city from a rural area and built Mississauga with help—not me alone, with a team— into the sixth largest city in Canada. I look at the facilities, the arenas, the community centers, the libraries and all the facilities that have been built in the city

for the people. It’s an honour to look after the people that you represent and look after a city that is not in big debt. Unlike a lot of cities, we were debt-free until the last two years of my term. We decided to convert our streetlights to energysaving versions. We didn’t have it in our budget. The money we borrowed to do it will be repaid to us in hydro savings within 10 years. I am proud to say I left the city in a good financial position and not too many cities in Canada can boast that.

Planning is the key to life. It’s the key to building a community. It’s the key to building a company. It’s the key to building a family. It’s the key to life. Planning.

I used to say to my people of Mississauga, “I spend your money like I spend my own— which is seldom.” You have got to give service for the money you’ve spent. You might say Hazel McCallion did this, but I had a wonderful team of counselors that worked with me. I had a wonderful team of staff. If you have qualified, dedicated staff, you can accomplish a lot.

ecoleholtcouture.com

A TRIBUTE TO ELFRIEDE HOLTKAMP (1925 - 2022)

Elfriede Holtkamp, Founder of Ecole Holt Couture and professional Couturier in Calgary since 1954, emigrated from Europe and established her couture and tailoring atelier in Calgary with a population then of just 168,000. In a few short years she was creating professional working wardrobes for women entering the corporate world of a burgeoning oil and gas industry.

Along with evening gowns for annual galas, and outfits for annual Calgary Stampede Royalty from 1964 to 1973, she created outfits for invited dignitaries such as Patricia Edwina Victoria Mountbatten, Katharine-Duchess of Kent, and the wife of the Honorable Governor General of Canada Roland Michener.

Elfriede operated as an independent business owner, with a handful of long-time employees until 1973, when she continued to work solo. In 2007 She opened Ecole Holt Couture School of Sewing and Design, after 15 years in the development to pass on her vast experience and expertise to future generations of creative sewing artisans. She taught until 2017, when she handed over the torch on to her daughter Jutta, also professionally trained by Elfriede. Now in her 94th year, she remains a mentor at the school and elder of couture.

Founder of Ecole Holt Couture

2019 Women of Inspiration™ Lifetime Achievement

Failure is valuable part of learning, don’t underestimate it. The things you learn the quickest and best are through failures, not successes

What is your definition of a Woman of Inspiration? Someone who perseveres in the face of and despite challenges that life throws at you. Doesn’t listen to ‘it cannot be done’ skeptics. Always look forward to learning from the past. Focuses on personal as well as professional progress, no matter how slow or convoluted, it’s the long game that counts. Respect the need for creative self-fulfillment, prioritizes family, values friendships, cultures a rich spiritual life, and gives back to the community.

What being recognized means to me? I am truly honoured to have been recognized for the Women of Inspiration™ Lifetime Achievement Award. These are the things, which in my mind have motivated me, fulfilled my spirit, and sustained financially for a lifetime. My faith has guided me through every day of my life and is my standard in hope. I’m grateful for what I’ve been given and love what I do, and it has been a very interesting career in which there is always something more to learn and apply to create something new.

I’m not sure that I fully understand the impact, if any, that my achievements have made, other than on myself even after 75 years of sewing and living 94 years.

What I do know, is that members of my family were taken care of financially with the aid of my business success during the early years in business and that I made a good life for myself. My clients were satisfied with my work, kept coming back, and some of them became good friends. My employees were happy, and I’m certain they could have earned a little more working elsewhere, but we were like family and when you treat people with kindness, compassion and respect, it is almost always returned.

I’ve had the privilege to compile all my knowledge and expertise, present it in a useful and relevant format, that instructs sewers and designers how to create using their own skillset, designs that they’ve created. The product of their imaginings which not only accurately represent their sketches and ideas, but made with appropriate high quality, long lasting, environmentally friendly, materials. Designs which are functional as well as beautiful, and that fit the wearer’s unique proportions. With workmanship that is presentable from inside as well as the outside and will last many years.

I hope that through EHC school, I will have left a legacy, a body of knowledge and expertise, that will benefit others who want to know how to bring their own dreams into existence. So many of the methods and techniques required have almost been lost and are inaccessible to most of the younger generation of sewers and fashion designers today. So far, no computer has replaced the inspiration, mindfulness, handcrafted skills, and creative spirit of a human being.

Who were your biggest SupportHER™s? My greatest supporters are my late husband and my daughter, Jutta who never complained during the times I had to work longer hours and who stepped in to help wherever they saw the need. My long-term clients who, became good friends, appreciated the effort and quality of my work, were very supportive and very willing to pay for my work. My students are the champions of my work and of the school, I love each one dearly and want to see each one succeed! My greatest reward has always been how positive and happy my clients were with their garments - that is what keeps you going, not the monetary reward. Yes, that is necessary, but not what keeps you going.

How do you pay it forward to inspire change?

My family and my business came first, but I’ve always tried to be inclusive and helpful in the best way I could and knew how. I created, or loaned, christening gowns, Confirmation gowns and Wedding gowns to those who simply couldn’t afford it. A beautiful gown for someone who desperately wanted to feel like a princess or to help with sewing projects that were daunting to fellow sewers seemed appreciated and welcomed.

In my church congregation, I sang in the choir for 60 years, and donated weekly flower arranging services for 40 years, using my own garden flowers during the summer months. We raised funds with craft sales, which I contributed sewn projects for, and sewed tablecloths and aprons for the church dining hall and servery. All things I love doing, but it also helped sustain our church community on a tight and sometimes nonexistent budget.

Stand up for what is good and right.

TRIBUTE – A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT ]

My husband and I loved entertaining, and after he passed away, I tried to keep it up in some fashion. For 10 years, I hosted themed a garden party here [where my atelier is as well] during the summer for about 60 friends and loyal clients as a token of thanks.

Whenever I offer my help, I never expect anything in return. Not everything you do in life should be about gain or publicity. Yes, it is necessary to earn a living, but more important to give back, build a community, work together and support each other. I would never be able to thank all the people in my life sufficiently, for their help or support when I needed it. Words of encouragement, a hug, even a simple smile, or really getting stuck-in with some elbow grease, goes a long way and the real gift in life to help people feel good about themselves and empowering them to achieve their best.

What words of wisdom would you share with entrepreneurs navigating their path? These are all things I promote and have lived by.

1. You must be your authentic self; you are totally unique in this world and doesn’t benefit your spirit pretending to be someone else or living up to someone else’s expectations or dreams.

2. Find what it is you love and are good at, and then make it work for you. That’s what will sustain you through the tough times; where you will find happiness and fulfillment. Not everyone is fortunate enough to earn a living doing what they really love but do, make it a big part of your life.

3. Stand up for what is good and right. You may not always be able to it overtly, but there are many ways to overcome adversity without being confrontational. Don’t give in to negativity, and don’t give up.

Success is not a destination but a journey. It takes a very long time to achieve success, just like becoming very old – it means you must live a very long time. Failure is valuable part of learning, don’t underestimate it. The things you learn the quickest and best are through failures, not successes. We strive to pass these values on to our students.

4. Garments are made for unique individuals, not the other way around. They must be functional as well as beautiful; genuine quality and excellent craftsmanship is the definition of true luxury.

5. Never be satisfied with ‘good enough’; always strive for excellence in all areas of your work, your reputation relies on it. A successful business can fold in an instant without reputable ethics. Not everyone will be supportive or happy with your success, live with it. Your satisfaction should come from within, not the approval of others, but your business survival depends on it.

6 Always make your client feel like a VIP. Be gracious and confident in your abilities. Don’t be afraid of admitting to a mistake, repair the damage immediately, and then learn from it and do not repeat. The takeaway is that it earns you respect.

7. Set good boundaries and be confident in declining clients who you are not comfortable working with, not everyone is a good fit for you.

8. There is no shame in working for a living, which may sound like stating the obvious, but you must do what is necessary to sustain yourself first while holding fast to your dreams. It takes courage, perseverance and dedication to follow your dreams.

9. To cultivate talent with a high success rate, we try to make sure our students are well suited and a good fit for our program. There is no point in taking someone on who is better suited to another type of educational program. Sewing and design skills we teach are useful for applications other than garments such theatre costuming, soft furnishings, adaptable to manufacturing or purely an art form.

10. Finally, you’ll never stop learning, that is what makes life and pursuing your career interesting and worthwhile.

A successful business can fold in an instant without reputable ethics. Not everyone will be supportive or happy with your success, live with it.

INSPIRE CHANGE TO SUPPORTHER™

Recognizing the achievements of women is critical. According to the United Nations report on Progress for the Sustainability Development Goals, it will take 285 years to close the global gender gap. For example, women’s representation in positions of power and decision making remains below parity.

The 285-year calculation is admittedly overwhelming. There is no denying there is work to do. It is not the responsibility of a single committee, group, company or government. It is everyone’s responsibility. By recognizing the achievements of women in our networks, workplaces and communities, we empower women to inspire future generations.

It is time to inspire change and empower women as visible leaders of companies with representation in all industries. It is important that women be included where decisions are made. To more vigorously empower women to stay on path,

give her confidence and pave the way for others to follow in her footsteps, we need to invite our male allies to be part of the conversation.

In 2018, at the height of #metoo, we made the bold move to trailblaze as the first women’s network to raise the bar and invite men to the conversation, bring awareness to the power of allyship and create an award category to recognize our allies as champions. Over the past five years, we have worked to bring this awareness to our networks, workplaces and communities.

This year, we are launching an International SupportHER™ Day on June 2 as the first day to invite everyone to play a role to empower a woman to succeed.

The challenge? EVERYONE takes one action to empower a woman in their workplace, network or community. Let’s inspire change!

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORTHER™ DAY

JUNE 2, 2023

One Action to SupportHER™ – How to Participate

- Tag #SupportHERDay @UWomensNetwork @UniversalWomensNetwork

- Take a pic, do a reel, TikTok

- Let us know how you are inspiring change to #SupportHER?

Getting Ready to SupportHER™

- Engage and challenge teams within your company to get involved

- Lead by example

- Contact us about programs and sponsorship opportunities

- Order SupportHER™ merchandise

- Recognize a SupportHER™ with a nomination Nominate a SupportHER™ by June 1 https:// universalwomensnetwork.com/womeninspiration/nominate-2023/

- Nominate a Top Company – Equity, Diversity & Inclusion SupportHER™ Champion by June 1 https://universalwomensnetwork.com/ nominate-top-company-equity-diversityand-inclusion-supporther-champion

Participate as a Company or Individually

Get your workplace involved to promote the culture of allyship. Contact us for Programs to support Allyship for your teams.

Be a visible SupportHER™ champion for women in your network, workplace and community through:

- Committing to your organization’s visibility as a SupportHER™

- Weaving gender diversity into your company’s policies (hiring, training, mentoring, promoting) to create a culture that embraces allyship

- Joining membership groups such as the Universal Womens Network™—groups with likeminded leaders campaigning for change

- Nominate your company as a Top Company –Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) SupportHER™ Champion

Knowing that empowering women in your company has the potential to increase your company’s bottom line is reason enough to invest in diversity, inclusion and equity programs that include women. Beyond programs, closing the gap becomes about what you do postprogram to amplify women. A few ways for you to support women in your company today include:

- Invest in diversity/inclusion/ equity programs

- Invite women to participate in the boardroom

- Create a mentorship program for women mentors and mentees in your corporation

- Role model inclusive behaviors

- Write a testimonial on her LinkedIn page

- Invest in women-owned businesses

- Create supplier diversity programs with opportunities to champion for womenowned businesses

- Showcase women leaders in your organization

- Introduce/refer her to a key stakeholder

- Be an ally when she is not in the room

- Call out unacceptable behavior

- Inspire change leading by example

It is no secret that for real change to happen, we must shine a light on those in positions of power in all places where decisions are made. No longer can conversations about advancing and promoting women in the workplace be solely on the shoulders of female leaders. Although it is crucial for women leaders to use their position to amplify the voices of other women, it is just as crucial to invite our male allies to the conversation and inspire change in your network, workplace and community. Everyone plays a role to SupportHER™.

By recognizing the achievements of women in our networks, workplaces and communities, we empower women to inspire future generations.

We are championing for women in our networks, communities and workplaces!

Together We Are Stronger!

Everyone can play a role to promote gender equality. The Universal Womens Network™ works with like-minded individuals and companies committed to moving the needle to advance women! Become a visible SupportHER™. Contact us to learn about Sponsorship opportunities for the Women of Inspiration™ Awards. Become a Corporate Member. Become SupportHER™ Certified!

• Certification Program

• SupportHER™ Membership

• SupportHER™ – Champion Council

• Women of Inspiration™ Awards –Nominate a SupportHER™!

• Sponsorship

• Nominate a Top Company - Equity, Diversity & Inclusion SupportHER™ Champion

Become a Visible Champion and SupportHER™ universalwomensnetwork.com

Cut through the noise and amplif y impac t.

In the midst of uncer tainty, consumers are looking towards brands to make an impact. Marketers are in a unique position to bridge the gap between brand and culture, tapping into the passion points of the consumer to cultivate obsession. Now more than ever, brands must set themselves up not just to sur vive but thrive.

Reuters Events: Strategic Marketing 2023 brings together leaders from the world’s most and empower marketing leaders – map the digital DNA of your consumer, foster brand loyalty and community, and unlock innovation.

With hyper-digitalization driving an overload of online content, marketers must stay ahead of industr y trends and champion creativity as we look towards 2023.

Join CMOs, trailblazers and exper ts at SM23 for the most crucial learning and networking oppor tunity of the year

Strategic Marketing is a must-attend because it sheds light on many of the critical questions and challenges so many of us face today... how to forge and foster meaningful consumer relationships, how to be relevant and engaging in ways that are authentic to your brand and aligned with your purpose.”

– Drieke Leenknegt, , Timberland

Keynote Speakers at Strategic Marketing 2023

Inspiring Change to SupportHER™

Acumen Law Corporation

vancouvercriminallaw.com

kylalee.ca

Twitter: @IRPLawyer @PaulDoroshenko

Instagram: @kylaleelawyer @acumenlaw

Partners, Acumen Law Corporation and Brazen Bull Creative Inc.

PAUL DOROSHENKO KYLA LEE

Kyla and Paul are leading criminal defence lawyers in Vancouver, British Columbia. They practice in the area of driving offences. Together, they also run a successful marketing agency focusing on SEO, web design and development, video and podcast production, and social media marketing for busy professionals.

What led you to become partners? What were the leadership qualities were important to you?

KYLA: I think Paul and I both view our roles as making law accessible and understandable but also making it interesting for the audience. So we kind of play off each other in a way to find innovative ways of doing that.

PAUL: Yes, our ethos is to be lawyers of the people and that means being a little silly and a little fun. But we can be serious when we need to be. We buckle down and get to work when it matters.

How has this partnership benefited your business?

PAUL: Kyla drives the engine of the firm. She has innovative ideas for legal challenges, arguments, as well as marketing that have increased our profile and our brand. She doesn’t back down from a challenge.

KYLA: And Paul has really given me the space to grow and flourish. Rarely does he say “no” — or at least not a hard no. He’s been really great about taking a back seat and letting others succeed and be recognized for their success.

What do you admire about your business partner?

PAUL: Her tenacity and her innovativeness. Sometimes this is a negative too - she believes so strongly in her positions that she can sometimes not see when it’s time to call it. But that attitude has helped her to win cases that seem unwinnable.

KYLA: His open-mindedness to new ideas and his willingness to take on a series of challenges even when they may be doomed to fail. Dream big, right?

Why is it important now more than ever for women to be visible leaders?

KYLA: In the last few years we’ve seen a real resurgence in attitudes that undermine women, visible minorities, and people with disabilities. There is an uprising of men who think that women are taking opportunities from them. Women see it differently - we see the success of one another as making more opportunities for everyone. Seeing women succeed makes other women feel safe to occupy those spaces and create space for others.

PAUL: Women are consistently undermined at every turn. Seeing women succeed helps other women overcome those dogged attempts to drag them down and keep them “in their place.”

How can men play a role to advancing women in the workplace?

PAUL: Make space for them to shine. Everyone in the workplace is enhanced and uplifted when one person is. So if we consistently make space for women to succeed we all will succeed by contrast. Women tend to uplift and acknowledge others more than men who have been socialized to be competitive and “line wolves.” Making sure women in your organization advance and succeed helps to eliminate these stereotypes and role model important behaviour for men.

How can we inspire change for equity, diversity and inclusion and to support the advancement of women in leadership roles?

KYLA: I think it’s less about inspiring and more about doing. The only way change happens is if we make it. It’s one thing to say we want to see more EDI but it’s another to actually put that in practice. Actively seek out talent from diverse backgrounds and make that a priority in hiring, advancement, and opportunity.

PAUL: It involves a daily obligation to recognize that the more opportunities for everyone the better the world will be. There is no shortage of work for any organization or in any industry. The more people who succeed the more demand there is for everything - whether it is supply chain, labour, office management, marketing, or anything else. There is an untapped market of people who are being overlooked for advancement because of a lack of EDI initiatives and that market will grow the economy, not shrink it, if greater advancement occurs.

What is your definition of a SupportHER™?

KYLA: Any person - male or female - who champions the success of other women. Not just celebrating when they succeed but making space and creating opportunity for them to do so.

PAUL: A person who supports a woman or women generally. This can mean by celebrating their success or by giving them opportunities they would not have otherwise had or that would have been occupied by a man. It also means stepping out of the way when there’s a choice between your own success and that of a female counterpart.

How important is it for women to be visible in leadership roles?

KYLA: It is so important. When I look around at boards and partnership announcements and speaker panels I see waves of men. Having women visible at the helm helps younger women see that these spaces are not just accessible but available. Programs like the UWN Women-Led Certification also help to identify businesses where the information may not be outwardly visible. When I shop or frequent a business I always look for logos or information that tell me this is a business run by women, and I am more likely to give them my business if they are. The UWN Women-Led Certification is an important piece of that.

What can we help you celebrate (hint, the new office)?

KYLA: Haha well, I guess like and share our photos on social media and post nice reviews?

PAUL: Yes, and spread the word that Acumen Law is open for business and ready to get to work.

I think it’s less about inspiring and more about doing. The only way change happens is if we make it.

INCLUSIVE LEAD HER™ SERIES

SupportHER™ Certification | Leadership Development

SupportHER™ enables organizations to develop inclusive leaders and support a workplace culture of diversity, inclusion and equity where all women feel seen, heard and valued. Our programs are designed and facilitated to engage participants and encourage participation. The models are created intended to build on prior leading as part of certification or stand alone. Certification available for completion of all modules and pre-assigned work. Facilitation in person or virtual. Courses 90-120 min, custom workshops with multi-day workshops and coaching available.

MODULE 1: Being a SupportHER™

• Discuss the Top 10 Challenges that women face in the workplace

• Identify ways to create a culture that supports women and enables allyship

• Understand the importance of having Mentors, Coaches and Sponsors

MODULE 2: Inclusive LeadHER™

• Discuss challenges that women face in the workplace

• Examine how to build women up through professional development and leadership

• Identify ways to be an ally and SupportHER™

MODULE 3: Raising the Bar for Diversity & Inclusion

• Address unconscious bias and microaggressions towards women

• Discuss ways to demonstrate inclusive leadership

• Examine internal processes, policies and procedures to maximize diverse talent

MODULE 4: BrandHER™

• Discuss roles, responsibilities, challenges and opportunities

• Discuss opportunities for women to leverage their skills and expertise to build through leadership

• Discuss ways to demonstrate thought leadership

• Identify ways to develop your thought leadership voice and branding

Module 5: IncludeHER™

• Discover the conclusive workplace undercurrents that create toxic environments

• Learn what is normalized by leadership and influencers that leads to behaviours of fitting in

• Discover five scientifically proven workplace tested inclusion and belonging tactics

• Examine the practical communication for leaders to positively impact the workplace

universalwomensnetwork.com

By Andrea Carter https://adleruniversity. academia.edu/AndreaCarter

BELONGING IN THE WORKPLACE

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the global economy contracted by 3.5% between 2020 and 2022, the most significant contraction since 1960. Stress, sadness, anger, and worry were rated at some of their highest levels in decades. During this time, a fundamental issue became glaringly transparent, people in the same workplace were experiencing very different situations depending on their identities. The veil dropped during these years, revealing a raw distinctness of who fit in rather than belonged and who received grace versus indecency. The psychology community predicted that post covid, global engagement, and performance would decline significantly. The reasoning is due to the prolonged states of compounding pressure, isolation, and loneliness. When occurring over lengthy periods, all of these lead to increased mental health conditions, polarized thinking, aggression, and defensive patterning.

Moreover, depending on the intersections of a person’s identity and how they are valued within a community or company change relative to their levels of belonging. As first quarter 2023 reports trickle into corporate top-of-mind publications, the research confirms these predictions, showing that employees can no longer tolerate toxic workplace culture. As a result, quiet quitting and high levels of turnover are on the rise. However, with the economic downturn, inflation, and higher operating costs, organizations are responding with tightened organizational budgets, expecting to leverage their human capital. As the tug of war intensifies between these two ends of the business spectrum, with employees holding onto a marginalized upper hand, one thing is evident, status quo employee motivation is not the answer.

Within this juxtaposition lies an opportunity to flourish, rebound, and grow exponentially because, as history has taught us, the solution lies in the difference between rational and emotional needs being met in these states of conflict. Organizational psychology is founded on the ability to structure systems and policies to enhance human motivation and inspiration - a concept that, when done right, enables organizations the ability to achieve greatness. However, those holding onto status quo leadership styles and traditional human resource management practices must behave differently to get there. Notably, the most up-to-date research shows that best-run global companies have average engagement rates of 73%. Employees of these organizations cite that because they belong, there is an atmosphere where they can be emotionally engaged and thrive at work. The three highestranked emotional needs mentioned in the Gallup (2023) report were: autonomy, flexibility, and belonging. Additionally, teams who experience belonging at work generate higher levels of trust and interpersonal connection, making them more accountable to their shared goals and each other. This distinction not only allows teams to adapt, pivot, and more easily make decisions under high-pressure situations, but it also provides them the motivation and inspiration to keep going in the face of impossible targets and challenges. And suppose belonging hasn’t piqued your curiosity enough when organizations achieve belonging cultures. In that case, it translates into having emotionally engaged customers and stakeholders – resulting in a 65% higher sales growth, a 10% growth in net profit, and a 25% increase in customer loyalty. In climates where people are emotionally invested and perceive they belong, individuals take more responsibility to ensure their teammates also experience belonging. Impressively, hybrid teams and teams who had never even met before (but who were experiencing high levels of belonging) reported they also had: higher levels of communication, learning environments that fostered innovation, flexible policy, and the belief and conviction that inclusive behaviors accounting for diversity and equity were driving their culture. With all these positive elements indicating the benefits of creating a belonging culture in the workplace, organizations and the leaders who run them want to know - how do we do it?

Photo credit Jordan Stothers

...employees can no longer tolerate toxic workplace culture. As a result, quiet quitting and high levels of turnover are on the rise.

Belonging is a topic that has been researched for hundreds of years; however, it is only recently that the economics of belonging has been deemed essential for the evolution of organizational success and faster economic growth rates. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is often used to explain the factors of belonging climates. The correlation is most often linked back to motivational impact, indicating that individuals are unable to flourish and reach their full potential without belonging. However, most research narrows in on the individual’s actions to fit in so they can belong, placing one hundred percent of the responsibility to fit into the organization on the individual. This distinction is where the separation of power occurs, highlighting a gap that has now been shown to be an underlying issue in enabling equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives. When this power differential is understood to impact the organizational objectives positively, the gap in understanding how the identities that individuals hold creates massive differences in how they are internally treated. The remarkable difference becomes evident when organizational culture shares the responsibility in a fifty-fifty reciprocated effort by demonstrating highperformance attainment and a culture where everyone belongs.

With all of these factors pointing to belonging in the workplace as a critical turning point for organizational culture and performance, three years ago, I set out to further understand how to create environments where everyone can belong, despite the intersections of identity for any given employee. First, let me clarify that individuals do not have only one identity. People are not just their gender, ethnicity, ableism, career level, age, height, weight, skill level, education level, immigration status, family status, or marital status (or any other elements described as superficial and deep-level diversity). Each individual is a combination of these diverse identities at all times. It should also be understood that one person cannot be more diverse than another person; the difference in diversity is dependent on what that community deems “normal” or a “fit” versus “abnormal” or “different.” How individuals are socialized within their upbringing shapes how they experience their version of “normal” or “fit.”

The same is true for organizational culture. The employee lifecycle is socialized based on the beliefs and values that leadership normalizes and how the employees follow normalized behaviour. Herein is where employee fit or community fit comes from. Depending on what has been normalized in any given organization or community is what contextually shifts who is considered diverse and who fits in. Perhaps even more fascinating though is that the research now shows that those organizations and teams that are more homogeneous - meaning they are the same, sharing the same appearance, beliefs, values, and normalized behaviours - make more frequent and consequential mistakes than teams who are heterogeneous and different. Fitting in is the action of becoming the “acceptable” values, beliefs, and behaviours that the organization normalizes. Belonging, on the other hand, is where the individual is accepted and valued for their intersections of identity, with the understanding that those differences will contribute to the overall flourishing of the organization.

When I first set out to understand belonging with Adler University (one of the top Universities in North America that focuses on Social Justice holistically), I was curious to understand what makes people recognize that they belong. Understanding the critical difference between fitting in and belonging was the initial acknowledgment. This difference sparked my curiosity about what qualities or indicators can be measured and structurally built into organizational development. The goal is that measurable belonging indicators and tactics systematically produce corporate results. With a mixed method, grounded theory research study, the results are exciting and compelling.

First, for employees to experience belonging, five indicators must be present: comfort, contribution, connection, psychological safety, and wellbeing. Comfort, in plain language, equates to being seen for the authentic and unique identities that one identifies as. Comfort indicates that the environment and workplace culture not only sees the individual but creates tactics that will enable that individual to flourish. An example of such is having clear job descriptions and job expectations for how work is actioned. Additionally, the job description matches the skills, abilities, and knowledge that the employee can deliver.

individuals are unable to flourish and reach their full potential without belonging

Connection means that the individual is known. This indicator is often where marginalized individuals receive the most bias and conflict because in organizations where homogeneity rules, these individuals are often the most ostracized and unknown - not because they are not incredibly valuable, but because the level of visible commonality differs from socialized norms. When something is unfamiliar or novel, the human tendency is to negate or overlook its importance. The act of connection within an organization implies that you as an individual matter and are significant enough that someone wants to know you further. That’s why names are so important. Names uncommon to a community are often mispronounced or not learned, a tendency that devalues a primary identifier of a person. In fact, ninety-six percent of participants in the study identified that when a leader cannot pronounce a person’s name or does not know a person’s name after years of being at the company, the individual knows that the leader does not care to “know them” and they only superficially value them. In conjunction with this trend, if a leader demonstrates this behaviour and devalues the act of connection, the followers in the company will normalize this behaviour as acceptable. Connecting employee values to company values is often misunderstood; even as simple as learning someone’s name promotes individual emotional needs being met and valued.

Contribution, the third indicator required for belonging to be perceived and leveraged, is the act of being valued. The action of an individual contributing demonstrates who in a community is valuable. Given this, inclusion changes considerably because it highlights the behaviour of who is invited to contribute perspectives and ideas. Traditionally, the ability to be invited to contribute or endorsed to contribute was based on how well-connected an employee was and how comfortable the organization and its decision-makers were with that individual. This is seen in hiring practices where individuals who are not necessarily the best candidate secure a job or promotion over others simply because they are more connected and have more homogenous elements. The same is valid for organizations hiring to fill marginalized quotas and therefore looking for a token employee to contribute to

their quota data. In both cases, contributions will not be valued to the extent the organization and the individual need.

Participants noted that Psychological Safety is also a crucial indicator of belonging. While it is often talked about as its own section within the organizational climate, the research indicated that psychological safety should be included as a proponent of belonging. Psychological safety shows that someone is accepted. Within the belonging in the workplace dynamic, if one is not accepted for how they identify, they will never feel that they belong. Additionally, there is a higher predisposition to code-switching in environments where people have to “fit in” and pretend to value and be someone they are not. Codeswitching is a psychological term that defines people’s behavior, adjusting their speech, style, appearance, behaviour, and expression to match their environment. When people have to behave in this function, their ability to be productive drops by approximately forty percent, and their capacity to achieve is continually affected. Fitting in is a destructive, misunderstood socialized need that produces group thinking, decreases productivity, increases burnout, and drives exclusionary behaviours. To counter code-switching, the tactical elements to make psychological safety and the act of being accepted indicated the need for empathy, respect, and approachability.

Wellbeing, the final indicator that must be present for belonging to be perceived, was also normalized as an imperative condition for feeling that someone belongs. To normalize that someone is seen, known, valued, and accepted, they must also be cared about. Participants indicated that caring for someone in the workplace translates into understanding someone’s strengths and accommodating or prioritizing how those strengths can be leveraged and utilized to their potential. Additionally, providing permission to employees to ask questions, reorganize priorities, and ask for help or tools to support achievement were all noted as elements of an organization and its people showing they care for an employee.

Psychological safety shows that someone is accepted. Within the belonging in the workplace dynamic, if one is not accepted for how they identify, they will never feel that they belong.

While foundationally Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging are becoming instrumental strategies for reaching business objectives, the gap organizations still need to fill is what that actually looks like and means systemically. The initial research shared here validated, produced, and tactically demonstrated these five indicators as belonging methodology that impacts the workplace successfully. As organizations look to understand the emotional needs of their human capital to produce high-performing results, these belonging indicators will become more applicable to reaching targets and creating workplaces where employees are engaged, motivated, and inspired.

About Andrea

In addition to being a Neuroscience-based Senior Consultant and Strategist for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Andrea D. Carter (she/her) holds a Master of Industrial & Organizational Psychology and is the senior research leader for Belonging in the Workplace for Adler University.

Andrea’s main area of focus is to help organizations empower their people to create high performing workplace culture through inclusion and belonging. Andrea’s 2021 ground breaking research in Belonging in the Workplace incorporates mapping the effects, measurement, and tactical behaviours of belonging within organizational structures, bridging the gap between equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives and organizational performance.

After developing the only validated organizational belongingness instrument to impact corporate culture and governance, Andrea’s research and consulting is sought after across multiple industries and countries.

Her work has been adopted by thousands of employees and her results continue to spark positive change, despite high-pressure and tough working conditions.

Discover Andrea’s Publications Here:

1,6 Gallup (2022). State of the global workplace: 2022 report. Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/stateof-the-global-workplace-2022-report.aspx

2 Gravett, K., & Ajjawi, R. (2022). Belonging as situated practice. Studies in Higher Education, 47(7), 1386-1396.

3 Grammer, J., & Zelikowsky, M. (2022). Neuroscience: The sting of social isolation. Current Biology, 32(12), R572-R574. 4,15,16,17,18,22, Carter, A. (2022). Belonging Within the Workplace: Mixed Methods Constructivist Grounded Theory Study for Instrument Validation and Behavioural Indicators for Performance & Governance. (Publication No. 29393403). [Adler University]. ProQuest. https://www.proquest.com/ openview/df3bede74f97b31ba91c846f316515e6/1.pdf?pq-orig site=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

5 Inspirus (2023). Q1 Report. 2023 Employee Engagement Trends & Forecasts. Inspirus. https://www.inspirus. com/2023-employee-engagement-trends-q1

7,9 Clifton, J. (2023) Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and How Leaders Missed It. Gallup.

8 Abrams, D., Lalot, F., & Hogg, M.A. (2021). Intergroup and intragroup dimensions of COVID-19: A social identity perspective on social fragmentation and unity. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 24(2), 201-209.https://doi. org/.101.71177/71/3163688443300220983440

10Allen, K., Kern, M. L., Rozek, C. S., McInerney, D. M., & Slavich, G. M. (2021). Belonging: A review of conceptual issues, an integrative framework, and directions for future research. Australian Journal of Psychology, 73(1), 87–102. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2021.1883409

11 Sandbu, M. (2022). The economics of belonging. In The Economics of Belonging. Princeton University Press.

12 Vithayaporn, S., Katekaew, R., Vorapanya, C., & Sanpetpanich, S. (2022). Antecedents and Consequences of Organizational Learning Climates: A Meta-Analysis Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory. ABAC ODI JOURNAL Vision. Action. Outcome, 9(2), 38-58.

14 Mangelsdorf, M. E. (2018). The trouble with homogeneous teams. MIT Sloan Management Review, 59(2), 43-47

19 Sylvain, M. M., Knochel, A. E., Gingles, D., & Catagnus, R. M. (2022). ABA while Black: The impact of racism and performative Allyship on Black behaviorists in the workplace and on social media. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 15(4), 1126-1133.

20 Keyes, C. L. M. (2002). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43, 207–222. https://doi. org/10.2307/3090197

21 Hales, A. H., McIntyre, M. M., Rudert, S. C., Williams, K. D., & Thomas, H. (2021). Ostracized and observed: The presence of an audience affects the experience of being excluded. Self and Identity, 20(1), 94-115. https://doi.org/10.1 080/15298868.2020.1807403

As organizations look to understand the emotional needs of their human capital to produce highperforming results, these belonging indicators will become more applicable to reaching targets and creating workplaces where employees are engaged, motivated, and inspired.

TO EXCEL IS TO REACH OUR OWN HIGHEST DREAM. BUT YOU MUST ALSO HELP OTHERS, WHERE AND WHEN YOU CAN, TO REACH THEIRS.

– Barbara Walters

Embrace Equality: Celebrating Black History

Over the years, we have come to realize the importance of black female leadership and the work to be done in our networks, communities and workplaces for social change. We want to support you and raise the bar for black women to be seen, heard and valued. We invited Women of Inspiration™ Alumni to share the significance of celebrating black history month, what it mean and how we can inspire change to realizing representation and equality.

SIOBHAN CALDERBANK

siobhancalderbank.com

Siobhan is an experienced HR Executive and Founder of Butterfly Ladies - a Mentoring Program committed to developing careers of underrepresented women and youth. She is a keynote speaker, recognized expert in leadership and change management, DEI advocate and award-winning author.

What actions or support would you say are most critical to #inspirechange to realizing representation for black women in leadership? Continued allyship, mentorship and sponsorship of Black women is critical to increase their representation in leadership. Providing targeted development and career growth opportunities, along with advocacy and coaching will also help to raise the visibility and performance of Black Women, which ultimately leaders to greater contribution, innovation and change.

Why is celebrating black history month especially important to you? Black History Month is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of Black people in the past and present and inspires Black youth to see beyond now to what is possible. Representation matters! Acknowledging Black Excellence and amplifying the voices of Black professionals, artists, innovators, and contributors is empowering during the month of February and beyond.

Tell us about a black woman who inspires you and why? My mom is one of the most inspiring Black women I know. She is strong, smart, courageous, and compassionate. Being a Black female math professor, she demonstrated the importance of showing up even if you are the “only” one in a room and that you can still be powerful. As an educator, she always encouraged her children to learn more, be better, stay true to your values, and to contribute back to our communities.

Managing Director, Talent

2019 Women of Inspiration™ Diversity and Inclusion Award

the importance of showing up even if you are the “only” one in a room

DR. NOTHABO NCUBE

Mentor to Young-Girls. Having overcome her own personal and professional obstacles, her powerful story encourages this generation to face their challenges and conquer them. Her story led her to meet the media mogul, Oprah Winfrey for a life class on the theme “You Become What You Believe”.

What actions or support would you say are most critical to #inspirechange to realizing representation for black women in leadership? Create more healthy spaces and platforms which allow for black women leaders to share their voices and stories, “the black experience”. To intentionally and consciously make room for black women leaders to succeed and thrive.

Why is celebrating black history month especially important to you? Celebrating black history month is important to me because it’s a reminder of who we are, how far we have come and how far we still have to go.

Tell us about a black woman who inspires you and why? My mother - she was a strong fearless woman who through example taught me that all things are possible when you believe in yourself. Oprah Winfrey – she is the epitome of the manifestations of God’s consciousness and grace. Michelle Obama – her nurturing transparent leadership is awe-inspiring.

2020 Women of Inspiration™ Black Leader Award

drthabo.com

Medical Doctor, International Speaker, Coach, Ironic Inc.

To intentionally and consciously make room for black women leaders to succeed and thrive.

EVELYNE NYAIRO

Ellie Bianca is a holistic skin care line that cultivates and empowers women through sustainable business practices and fair trade. I moved to Canada from Kenya at the age of 16 and put myself through a Bachelor and a Master of Science degree while being a single mom. I built Ellie Bianca on my desire to be an example to my daughter of what women are capable of, and to empower other women to succeed from sourcing ingredients from women in Africa and mentoring other women entrepreneurs to running the Ellie Bianca Woman Scholarship for single mothers

What actions or support would you say are most critical to #inspirechange to realizing representation for black women in leadership?

Firstly we need to have a deeper understanding of why there’s such a huge gap because you cannot solve a problem without understanding the root cause, and then putting in systems in place to fill in those gaps and lift our community up.

There’s a need to develop programs that are tailored to supporting black women entrepreneurs, whether be technological, financial or operational aspects of running a business to help them thrive. I hear a lot about “access to capital” being the main challenge but you cannot invest in a bottomless basket. There’s a need to build a strong foundation to ensure Black Women in Business thrive once you put in all the other levers of success.

Why is celebrating black history month especially important to you? Years ago, I found myself doing fieldwork among the most beautiful wild mango trees in Chad. Not one to waste an opportunity for an incredible fresh fruit, I was introduced to a family where the mother and kids proceeded to expertly climb the trees in the hot sun to harvest mangoes for me to eat. Towards the end I was told to pay the husband when it was the wife that had picked the mangoes. I felt a knot of anger in my heart as I customarily handed the money over to the man. I thought to myself, “This happens everywhere around the world, and it’s wrong,” and I was motivated to help improve the lives of the women there. That is when I decided to start Ellie Bianca, a natural skincare line built on the pillars ‘Kind to Your Skin, Kind to the Earth, Kind to Women.’

Black History Month to me is the awakening and recognition that this community exists. It’s celebrating and highlighting the contribution that we make to society as Black Women. But I want to see this celebration everyday and not just during the Black History Month because we don’t stop existing post February.

Tell us about a black woman who inspires you and why? I have a few women who inspire me including Michelle Obama and Serena Williams.

Being a Black First Lady, Michelle showed us what is possible. I always felt like she was the one leading even when it was Barrack Obama on that presidential seat. Coming from where she came from and rising to law school to eventually be who she is, she brought a different class to the White House and really changed the image of Black Women in Leadership.

What I love about Serena is that she played a game that wasn’t really a black game and she owned it. When I think about my own quote of “be so good that you can’t be ignored” she did exactly that where she played so well that she had to be recognized. Sport is a mental game & requires tenacity- she’s done a great job and I like how she never gives up.

But a Black woman I truly admire is my mother. There’s no woman I’ve seen as more resilient than her, going through all that she went through and still holding herself together. I couldn’t be who I am if it wasn’t for her. When I think about who really inspires me, I think about my mother. Being able to push in an African community where women weren’t given that chance, she found her space quietly, and kept breaking barriers not just for herself but for those around her.

Founder, Ellie Bianca

2020 Women of Inspiration™ Covid Leader Award elliebianca.com

Based in Calgary, Alberta, A professional speaker and trainer, Alison Springer has been working with youth for over 20 years, from Student Leaders to Street Kids to everyone in between.

Alison knows how to captivate and inspire her audiences, keeping them engaged with her use of memorable sayings, innovative exercises, and her own creative flair.

What actions or support would you say are most critical to #inspirechange to realizing representation for black women in leadership? Accurate narratives. She is an ‘angry mad black woman’ is a false narrative that is hurtful and hindering. It’s a narrative that mocks strength and tries to silence us in the workplace and keep us out of leadership. She is a ‘confident, honest, passionate, strong black woman’ is a more accurate narrative. These adjectives transform people’s perspective on Black women, now making her a valued candidate for leadership, a treasured co-worker, and an inspiring friend.

ALISON D. SPRINGER

Why is celebrating black history month especially important to you? It’s acknowledging the human spirit within a race that faced inhumane crimes and are still standing. That’s a story of faith, adaptability, strength under control, hope, the will to live and love. Other races wronged have been compensated. When slavery was abolished slave owners were paid for their loss of wages, but Blacks have been denied any financial compensation. So, one month to acknowledge the achievements and advancement of Black people is an honouring tribute.

Tell us about a black woman who inspires you and why? This past year, Harriet Tubman has been my inspiration. She was a woman of faith who said, ‘Enough’ to living in a system that believed she had little worth. With God’s help she escaped slavery to freedom in Canada. However, Harriet was not satisfied with her own personal freedom but wanted others to experience it too. Making 19 trips to the South, freeing approximately 300 people to Canada. A woman with a cause beyond herself.

Founder & Director, Young Women of Power and Greater Than Communications

2019 Women of Inspiration™ Difference Maker Award ywop.ca

It’s acknowledging the human spirit within a race that faced inhumane crimes and are still standing.

and Executive Director Black Mentorship Inc. (BMI)

2020 Women of Inspiration™ Black Leader Award blackmentorshipinc.ca

EVANGELINE CHIMA

Evangeline Chima is the founder and executive director of Black Mentorship Inc. (BMI) –an organization dedicated to fostering the professional growth and personal expansion of Black professionals through education, mentorship, and skills building. BMI was born from her experiences with systemic racism and bias as a Black professional woman in Canada.

What actions or support would you say are most critical to #inspirechange to realizing representation for black women in leadership? Representation matters. It allows people to feel seen and validated and encourages those in the minority group, especially, to have a voice. Canada's black population is growing, yet black people continue to be underrepresented in businesses and the corporate workforce. This is especially true for black women, who are the most underrepresented in the Canadian corporate workforce. The higher up the corporate ladder you go, the less representation of Black women there is, and this need to change if we must create an equitable workforce. In the 2016 census, 51.6% of the Black population was comprised of women. This number makes it critical for us to act now. When we don't have black women executives in leadership positions, we invariably say to our future generation that if you are a woman, you can't be a leader. This subtle yet powerful message can shape how our children and teenagers see themselves.

So, I say to you, take Courage, be Brave – Speak up. If you enter a room and don't see everyone represented, ask why? That's how we impact the change we want to see and ensure we have black women leaders.

Why is celebrating black history month especially important to you? Black History Month celebrates the achievements and outstanding contributions of people of African and Caribbean descent worldwide and their determination, successes and leadership.

It is a time to educate, inform and correct the narratives about black people – who we are as a community. It is a beautiful time to connect to other black people; it's particularly special to me because it is a time to nod to my fellow black person and say, " sister, brother " I see you!

Tell us about a black woman who inspires you and why? It is so difficult to name one person who inspires me. However, my mom (Lolo Francisca Anyanwu (Late), is at the top of my list because I honestly attribute all I am to her teachings. Recently my husband noted that no day passes that I don't mention my mom, and I have seen that to be accurate, and you know why? Everything that I know: how to be resilient, a go-getter, bold, be a better mom, wife and human was taught to me by my mom. The other person is Oprah Winfrey. Her authenticity and willingness to share her lived experiences and ability to encourage others to do the same in the hope that their stories can help other people to be better versions of themselves is what I strive to do with my work at Black Mentorship Inc. through mentorship.

Founder

So, I say to you, take Courage, be Brave – Speak up.

Maryse has worked with financial services for over 17 years and gained a wealth of knowledge and experience ranging from product development and support, to product management and Pre Sales. Starting her career at Hewlett Packard, progressing onto Logica (CGI) and then London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), Maryse now represents RepRisk as a Partnerships and Business Development Manager, responsible for establishing strategic partnerships to advance the reach of ESG data and technology for due diligence and risk management.

What actions or support would you say are most critical to #inspirechange to realizing representation for black women in leadership?

An understanding and recognition of the inequality and inequity that is still very evident in leadership will continue to move the conversation forward. We are seeing efforts towards closing the gaps but we are still a way off seeing diversity as standard through all levels of an organization. A critical component to this will be in the form of effective programming and recognition of talent, broadening horizons when selecting candidates for leadership roles, and developing our future leaders to change the current landscape of who is representing business.

MARYSE GORDON

Why is celebrating black history month especially important to you? It is an opportunity to change the narrative on black history and highlight pioneers who drastically changed the future of humankind is many ways. In education, we often see black history only being attributed to oppression, and though this is a major factor in the continued issues we still see today, Black History Month is a time to evoke positive, empowering, uplifting stories and examples of black contributions to the world.

Tell us about a black woman who inspires you and why? I love our musicians who sung the truth of life as a black woman, and also crossed boarders and bought people together – Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin are two I admire for this.

Partnerships and Business Development Manager, RepRisk

2022 Women of Inspiration™ Diversity and Inclusion Award

An understanding and recognition of the inequality and inequity that is still very evident in leadership will continue to move the conversation forward.

KISA CARUTHERS

Kisa Caruthers is a licensed electrical engineer with more than 24 years of experience in electrical building system designs for various projects across the United States and internationally. Kisa earned a Bachelor of Science in architectural engineering from Tennessee State University and a Master of Business Administration and academic certification in project management from Webster University. Kisa Caruthers serves as the co-chair of the Black Professional Network (BPN) ERG of Burns & McDonnell and leads the BPN women’s initiative committee encouraging and empowering Black women through their career journey. She serves on the Board of Directors for Jackson County CASA, advisory board member of Missouri State University advisory board member for the Women in a Leadership program.

What actions or support would you say are most critical to #inspirechange to realizing representation for black women in leadership? The actions and support that are most critical to inspiring change for the representation of Black women in leadership are:

First, Recognize and value the knowledge, skills, and expertise of the Black woman.

Secondly, it is essential to support the leadership position of the Black woman and provide sponsorship of her accomplishments.

Lastly, she realized the beauty of diversity in her being and the difference in her leadership style to accomplish various tasks.

Why is celebrating black history month especially important to you? Celebrating Black History is important because it contributes to World History. Black History transcends time from kings and queens in Africa, to slavery, to inventors, medical scientists, NASA scientists and engineers, architects, engineers, and construction, and the President and Vice President of the United States. It is essential to know that Blacks' inventions, accomplishments, and success contribute to the growth and success of all people, countries, and cultures.

Tell us about a black woman who inspires you and why? The Black woman who inspires me is my mother. My mother is the first woman that showed me what a strong, powerful, capable Black woman is. She instilled in me that I could accomplish anything and turn my dreams into realities. She fostered my abilities and encouraged me to be my best self. She continues to this day, championing and celebrating my successes and uplifting me in the unsuccessful. She is a Black History woman.

Senior Electrical Engineer/ Project Manager, Burns & McDonell

2022 Women of Inspiration™ Mentorship Award

It is essential to know that Blacks’ inventions, accomplishments, and success contribute to the growth and success of all people, countries, and cultures.

HONOURABLE JEAN AUGUSTINE

2022 Women of Inspiration™ Awards –Lifetime Achievement

Dr. Jean Augustine is the first African Canadian woman to be elected to the House of Commons. During her 13 years in Parliament, she served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Minister of State and Deputy Speaker.

Jean was appointed by the Government of Ontario as Fairness Commissioner in 2007, a position created to advocate for Canadians with foreign credentials. She held this position for 11 years.

Among Dr. Augustine’s many achievements and honours include leading the motion that allowed for the placement of the Famous Five statue on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and the motion that created Black History Month in Canada.

We celebrate her Lifetime of Achievements as a Member of Parliament, Teacher, Principal, Educator, Community Builder, Mother & Grandmother.

Dr. Augustine has received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from seven universities. Her legacy lives on through the institutions that honour her name. These include, a leadership academy, two parks, a secondary school and the Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women’s Empowerment to name a few.

Honourable Dr. Jean Augustine continues to lead by example. We celebrate her Lifetime of Achievements as a Member of Parliament, Teacher, Principal, Educator, Community Builder, Mother & Grandmother.

THANK YOU SPONSORS

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AWARDS

Recognizing the achievements of women from diverse industries who lead, inspire and motivate!

Women of Inspiration™ led by example ignore the naysayers and take the road less traveled. They are the role models and the everyday heroes making an impact in our local, national, and global communities.

Nominate or Apply NOW!

https://universalwomensnetwork.com/ women-inspiration/nominate-2023

WOI AWARD CATEGORIES

Advocate & Catalyst for change Award

Authentic Leader Award

Black Women Leader Award

Cultural Ambassador Award

Customer Experience Award

Difference Maker Award

Diversity & Inclusiveness Award

Presented by Randstad Canada

Dream Builder Award

Presented by AMJ Campbell

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Economic Empowerment Award

Game Changer Award

Global Impact Award

Health and Wellness Award

Heidi Stevenson Unsung

Hero Award

Immigrant Leader Award

Influencer Award

Innovation Award

Inspire Award

Integrity Award

Lifetime Achievement Award

Mentorship Award

Millennial Leader Award

Raising the Bar Award

Rising Leader Award

Rural Leader Award

Social Impact Award

SupportHER™ Award

Presented by Enbridge Gas

Nest Award

Presented by Banff Sunshine Village

Trailblazer (STEM) Award

Presented by Mitacs

Transformational Leader Award

Vision Builder Award

Women in Media Award

Women-Led Award

Youth Excellence Award

Presented by RBC

PRESENTED BY

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AWARD WINNERS ]

CATHY NESBITT

Founder and Worm Advocate, Cathy’s Crawly Composters

A Woman of Inspiration stands in her power regardless of the obstacles in her way. She is a role model, mentor and guide to show the way. Living and leading by example. Shining a light to provide hope and uplift spirits.

RAMIN FAZEL

Regional Vice President, Downtown Toronto, Royal Bank of Canada

A Woman of Inspiration is a leader who has a clear vision, is passionate for broader impact and is authentic in her approach as she drives progress towards her purpose and in doing so; through her personal example is able to inspire others to believe that they too have a voice and can be the ripple that changes the world as they take action for their own unique purpose.

SUSIE DE RIDDER

Truck Driver, Day and Ross

I believe the definition of a Women of Inspiration™ is some one that is strong and independent. She wants to make change in the world just like me.

LAVANYA HARIHARAN

Supervisor Technician Services, Enbridge Gas Inc.

A Woman of Inspiration gives a path for others to follow. We own our thoughts and inspiration is powerful word to make the place in others world. Be true to yourself and own your career. Run and never fear about the fall, you will be inspired to learn about what one can do in this planet.

ASAWARI LELE

Account Manager, National Real Estate Group, Toronto Dominion Bank

A Woman of Inspiration for me is someone who effortlessly, and with all her heart acts in such great ways that draws everyone to emulate her. A creator, leader and someone who knowingly or unknowingly breaks most stereotypes.

SAMANTHA SANNELLA

Canadian National Director, Total Workplace Americas, Cushman and Wakefield

A Woman of Inspiration is human sunshine. She nurtures others, helps them grow and warms the heart in friendship. A Woman of Inspiration is humble, as she knows that gratitude for her many gifts is the reason why she is blessed with more. She finds commonality with many people and knows that we are more alike than different. She is resilient, strong, encouraging and leads by example.

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ ADVOCATE & CATALYST FOR CHANGE AWARD

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AUTHENTIC LEADER AWARD

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AUTHENTIC LEADER AWARD

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AUTHENTIC LEADER AWARD

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AUTHENTIC LEADER AWARD

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AUTHENTIC LEADER AWARD

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AWARD WINNERS ]

Founder and Chief Content Creator,

A Woman of Inspiration inspires others through her words, actions, and accomplishments. Her passion, enthusiasm, and commitment are evident in everything she does. Others take notice when she enters a room, walks onto a stage, or voices her opinion. With each interaction she leaves others feeling larger for having met her.

NEELIMA MANGAL

Chief, Global Head of Delivery,

Being a Woman of Inspiration has many distinct meanings for me. There are no bounds to what we can achieve. You will be unstoppable if you believe in yourself, above all, love yourself and don’t be afraid to celebrate your own accomplishments. Keep shining because you are the leader of your life. You are your own person with your own voice. Being fearless is your superpower.

ANNEMARIE HEIKENWALDER

Head of Sales and Marketing, Diamond

A Woman of Inspiration is someone who motivates others by showing fairness, kindness, determination, and drive. She encourages those around her to be their best self, while exercising their passion for their work and industry. A woman of inspiration is a woman, who has made a reputable name for herself.

Learning and Development Business Partner, DELL Technologies

To me, a Woman of Inspiration is one who is driven by passion and purpose, challenges the status quo, leads by example, and most importantly has the courage to lean into vulnerability. One who dares to be authentic, and speaks openly about her own struggles, doubts, and her journey into redefining herself.

Wealth

A Woman of Inspiration is an influential leader who inspires others by cheering them, supporting and encouraging them, educating and mentoring them, motivating and believing in them. They don’t compare themselves to others, rather focus on being the best version of themselves.

Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Ajax

A Woman of Inspiration is confident in her own right. She has overcome her barriers and faced her faults. She is comfortable in herself. I am inspired by the quiet strength of women who may not make it in the media or in a flashy way but overcome each and every day their barriers to make life better for themselves and others

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AUTHENTIC LEADER AWARD

TINA POWELL

Glorious is She

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AUTHENTIC LEADER AWARD

Nutcache Technology

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AUTHENTIC LEADER AWARD

Aircraft Industries Inc.

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AUTHENTIC LEADER AWARD NAZ ZEHRA

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AUTHENTIC LEADER AWARD BRIANNE GARDNER

Manager & Financial Advisor, Raymond James Ltd.

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ BLACK WOMAN LEADER AWARD PATRICE BARNES

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AWARD WINNERS ]

Publisher, AirdrieLife Magazine

A Woman of Inspiration is a woman who is authentically and unapologetically herself. These are the women I value most.

JAMIE

Chief Experience Officer and Co-Founder, Amplify Advisors

A Woman of Inspiration contributes to society while doing what they love. When you get a chance to find meaning in work and life, and you generously share and give back, there’s an inspiration in that.

DANIELLE

Vice President of Inpatient and Virtual Programs, Canadian Addiction Treatment Centres

A Woman of Inspiration wakes up despite all odds, each and every day, to help others feel less alone. She embraces all that she is, unapologetically, so other women know it is safe for them to do the same.

JANET WARDLE

SHANNON

President and Partner, Faulhaber Communications

A Woman of Inspiration is someone who celebrates females of all forms and helps them to be their best versions of themselves. She cares more about what others feel, than what others think. She uses her voice and actions to make change and create a world that is better than the one she inherited.

President and CEO, MHI Canada Aerospace Inc.

A Woman of Inspiration is someone who takes their unique situation and uses it to create new opportunities and break down barriers. It is about using your voice and position to help not only other women, but the next generation.

Founder and CEO, Metronomics

A Woman of Inspiration to me is committed, disciplined, determined, dedicated, consistent, practical, efficient, and systematic. They are not afraid to be their own unique self and bring that uniqueness to their personal and professional lives. Finally, they are making a big impact on others and the world.

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ CULTURAL AMBASSADOR AWARD SHERRY SHAW-FROGGATT

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AWARD

SMITH

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ DIFFERENCE MAKER AWARD

MCCARRON

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AWARD

LEXI PATHAK

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ DREAM BUILDER AWARD

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ GAME CHANGER AWARD

BYRNE SUSKO

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AWARD WINNERS ]

Owner and Instructor, Okami Martial Arts

A Woman of Inspiration is someone that empowers others to use their voice, to stand up and make a difference.

Owner and CEO, Modalink

A Woman of Inspiration is one who is brave and vulnerable. Because vulnerability is bravery. Women are so resilient that we literally stand back up and brush off the dust whenever we fall and still stand tall even if we are hurt. That is why women are inspiring.

LEIGH

Founder and CEO, Skwálwen Botanicals

A Woman of Inspiration is someone who demonstrates leadership, teaching, self care and community care in ways that are grounded in strength, respect and love. Inspirational women are diverse. My grandmother Rose, on my Squamish side, was a residential school survivor. Grannie Rose is a Woman of Inspiration.

STEPHANIE COUGHLAN

Owner, SMC Sports Ltd.

To me, a Woman of Inspiration is a woman who has been able to have her life burn to the ground and still rise from her ashes to inspire others. This kind of individual empowers others to ignite their own souls with the desire to love themselves. She is also reminds you that you aren’t broken.

JENNIFER LEBRUN

CEO and Founder, ULAT Dryer Balls

A Woman of Inspiration is a woman who shows up and exemplifies all aspects of being present (physically/emotionally/ spiritually) and as a participate (seen/heard/ contributing). She is a woman regardless of circumstance, perceived limitations &/or barriers and with honest intention.

DR.

Founder and CEO, Canadian HR Solutions Inc. (CHRS)

A Woman of Inspiration is one whose own personal light shines so brightly that it helps to illuminate the pathway of others. She is full of love. She is confident. She is also light as she does not carry around baggage but lives in the present with her eyes fixed, optimistically, on the future.

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ HEALTH AND WELLNESS AWARD

CRYSTAL GREENWOOD

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ IMMIGRANT LEADER AWARD AYRA MODALO

Immigration Services Inc.

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ INDIGENOUS LEADER AWARD

JOSEPH

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ INFLUENCER AWARD

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ INNOVATION AWARD

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ INSPIRE AWARD

CAROLINE COLE POWER

[

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AWARD WINNERS ]

Chair, Board of Directors, Drayton

Women of Inspiration show up and are not afraid to try something new. They also fall, get back up, and continue to fight like hell to reach the goal they set out to achieve. They are also authentic, remain so at every curve in the road and remain true to themselves, always.

Founder, Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women’s Empowerment

A Woman of Inspiration is a woman who commits herself to an ideal, is passionate and hardworking towards the achievement of her goals and who serves as a role model and mentor to others can be called inspirational.

CEO, EnPoint

A Woman of Inspiration to me is authentic, whole, and confident even in the face of fear, ambiguity, or imposter syndrome. She is always willing to stand up for herself and others, and in doing so is a role model for everyone in our community.

Director of Brand and Communications,

Village

A Woman of Inspirations someone who gets up each day with the goal of bringing her magic to life, Like each one everyone of us, a true women of inspiration has her good days and her bad days – but she lets neither define her, She is humble, hungry, and honed into the moment.

CEO and Executive Consultant, Insight Global

A Woman of Inspiration is a woman who leads with confidence despite any obstacles that have come her way. She is a compassionate being that has respect for all and strives to do her absolute best for herself, her family, and the world.

Executive Consultant, Sill Media

I’m inspired by women who have grit and drive and are willing to challenge the status quo. They are passionate, caring, and selfless. Women of Inspiration are willing to be vulnerable and share their experiences and lessons learned so that they can be relatable and give others strength and courage.

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ INTEGRITY AWARD PATRICIA ZIEGLER

Entertainment Theatres

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD HONORABLE JEAN AUGUSTINE

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ MENTORSHIP AWARD CHANTAL BRINE

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ MILLENNIAL LEADER AWARD KENDRA SCURFIELD

Banff Sunshine

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ NEST AWARD SHANNON SMADELLA

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ RAISING THE BAR AWARD LINDSAY SILL

Inc.

[ 2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AWARD WINNERS ]

Founder and CEO, Skills Camp

I believe that a Woman of Inspiration inspires people to think, learn, and take action. I am personally inspired by those women who work collaboratively and bring a community-mindset to groups and spaces and by those who challenge us to think critically and open our minds to new issues, concepts, and ideas.

A Woman of Inspiration is someone that will lend a helping hand without thinking twice, always putting others first and love to serve people and her community. Always looking out for others to support and inspire other women to become their best version of themselves.

A Woman of Inspiration is a woman who is determined to leave this world better than she found it. A woman who understands her purpose, is unapologetic for who she is and what she believes in, strives for her goals, is resilient and practices self care. She also leads with empathy and uplifts others.

KRISTIN DAVIS-OUWEJAN

Co-Founder and COO,

A Woman of Inspiration is a leader with purpose that dreams big, builds relationships and understands how to empower others solve difficult problems in service of a better world. They also happen to be women.

A Woman of Inspiration is someone who leads with love and compassion. Women can inspire in many ways, such as through their corporate leadership, philanthropic work, and mentorship, but a true Woman of Inspiration puts kindness first. Through this love and compassion, she is able to pave the way.

A Woman of Inspiration is someone who makes a positive impact on the people and communities around her and probably doesn’t even know it, or perhaps she does but it’s a part of who she is at her core. She is a steward for change and a cheerleader for the whole team to drive towards greatness.

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ RISING LEADER AWARD BAILEY PARNELL

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ RURAL LEADER AWARD ANGELE MILLER

CEO, Creekside RnR Glamping

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD JESSICA DIROM

Director, Donor Relations and Development, STARS

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ SUPPORTHER™ AWARD (MALE ALLIE) SHAWN GIBSON

Executive Coach, Incito

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ SUPPORTHER™ AWARD REETU GUPTA

Chairwoman and Ambassadress, The Gupta Group

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ TRAILBLAZER (STEM) AWARD

ZS2 Technologies Ltd.

[ 2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AWARD WINNERS ]

Founder and CEO, The Inspired Leader

A Woman of Inspiration is one who sees beauty and love in the world and sets out to highlight that in inspiring and motivating ways. She sets the bar for other women to achieve their dreams and to create a life for themselves that they truly are deserving of. She is a mentor and dedicates her life to walking alongside other women as they navigate their unique journeys in empowering ways.

Founder, Madge and Mercer Modern Apothecary

Confidence and humility. Kind, compassionate and empathetic yet driven. A Woman of Inspiration has just enough ego to be a strong leader but not too much so that it gets in the way. She supports and encourages the team yet not afraid to be upfront. And above all, authentic and sincere.

TV Personality

A Woman of Inspiration is vulnerable, authentic and kind. She uses her voice when she can, leads by example, even in silence and uses her privilege to elevate others.

CEO, Oxygen Yoga & Fitness Inc.

A Woman of Inspiration is someone that inspires and motivates people through their own experience, successes, and overcoming adversity. Someone who has the ability to share their life stories and journey as we all learn from one another.

Co-Founder and Lead Trailblazers X Impact

A Woman of Inspiration is a queen who changes lives with their stories of failure and overcoming. They show the world and their believers that everything is possible and being a woman in every industry means keeping your head held high no matter what.

Young Youth Volunteer Advocate, Influencer and Model

A Woman of Inspiration is a role model who leads by example. She is an inspiration because of his selfless love, commitment, dedication kindness and action – regardless of fame, name, award or recognition. She is an Influencer, a teacher, a mentor and a leader who knows how to give way for others to shine.

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER AWARD ALLY STONE

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ VISION BUILDER AWARD

SHAUNA LEVY

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ WOMEN IN MEDIA AWARD TARA SLONE

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ WOMEN-LED AWARD JENNIFER HAMILTON

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ YOUTH EXCELLENCE AWARD PRERANA MANOJ

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ YOUTH EXCELLENCE AWARD ALLYSHA NOLASCO

[ 2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AWARD WINNERS ]

Senior Electrical Engineer – Project Manager,

A Woman of Inspiration motivates another person, she provokes a person to look past their insecurities and helps them focus on their abilities. She stimulates another person encourages them to be innovative and creative to excel in their abilities. She is invigorating and refreshing.

Founder

A Woman of Inspiration is someone who puts their own needs to the side to provide support to others be successful.

Translational Scientist, Takeda Pharmaceuticals

A Woman of inspiration is someone who leads by example with compassion and authenticity. The woman of inspiration uplifts people around her, in particular, the ones left behind and the ones who voices are unheard.

Vice President, Global Packaging Innovation

and Portfolio Management,

Companies, Inc.

A Woman of inspiration is a women with integrity, courage, competence and versatility who exudes grace and confidence despite adversity.

Managing Partner and Space Medicine

Expert, Space Exploration Strategies

A Woman of Inspiration comes into stages. Firstly, she knows what suffering truly means and relates and truly understand the suffering of others. Secondly, she listens to her inner voice over the external voices, coming from her environment, thirdly, she does not follow the crowd and believes in herself.

CEO, Digi-Buzz or “Bad Science Jokes”

A Woman of Inspiration, to me, is someone who doesn’t let the world stop them. No matter what life throws at you, you can get up and keep going. No matter how many trials you can stand up taller than before.

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ MENTORSHIP AWARD, INTERNATIONAL KISA CARUTHERS

Burns & McDonnell

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ INFLUENCER AWARD, INTERNATIONAL DR. JILL LOPEZ

and CEO, VetCandy

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ ADVOCATE & CATALYST AWARD, INTERNATIONAL SAMPURNA CHATTERJEE

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AUTHENTIC LEADER AWARD, INTERNATIONAL UKACHI ANONYUO

Strategy

The Estée Lauder

22022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ TRAILBLAZER (STEM) AWARD, INTERNATIONAL DR. VANESSA FARSADAKI

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ MILLENNIAL LEADER AWARD, INTERNATIONAL MELISSA CHURCH

[ 2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AWARD WINNERS ]

Youth

A Woman of Inspiration is a woman who understands the history of her people, the plight of her people and the needs of the children in her country. With that understanding, she commits to finding solutions whether through business or advocacy to make life better for them.

A Woman of Inspiration is a women who has made an impact in the society by her actions and has unlocked the leadership potential of self and others. Motivating, enabling others to set their own vision and guide them to achieve it. Leading by example. Passionate, humble, open and empathetic.

Executive

A Woman of Inspiration is a woman who creates a better world for everyone around her and puts herself at the service of others. Someone whose words and actions inspire and lift others up.

2022 Women of Inspiration™

Celebrating women making an impact –Congratulations to our 2022 winners!

The Women of Inspiration™ Awards program shines the spotlight on ambitious and inspiring women from diverse backgrounds, industries and stages of life. They have one things in common. They are role models. They are entrepreneurs, Changemakers and business leaders who inspire change.

Thank you for Raising the Bar for women to succeed! Looking forward to the journey ahead.

Monica Kretschmer

A Woman of Inspiration is courageous woman who seeks the opportunity to elevate and empower others. One that aims to help others recognize and utilize their gifts. A role model who will uplift those around and watching her, representing positivity, determination, kindness and humbleness.

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ WOMEN IN MEDIA AWARD, INTERNATIONAL EMPREZZ GOLDING Social Entrepreneur,

Advocate and Media personality

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ DIFFERENCE MAKER, INTERNATIONAL PADMINI NAVALGUND Senior Manager, Bosch Global Software Technologies

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ SOCIAL IMPACT, INTERNATIONAL VELVEETA VIBAN

Director and Founder, I’m Human Org

2022 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AWARD, INTERNATIONAL MARYSE GORDON Partnerships and Business Development Manager, RepRisk

Founder and CEO, Universal Womens Network™, Women of Inspiration™ Awards, SupportHER™

Building a pipeline of talented women

Building a pipeline of talented women

We believe that diversity drives innovation, shapes better decisions and builds resiliency.

We believe that diversity drives innovation, shapes better decisions and builds resiliency.

We’re building a workforce more inclusive of women, people of colour, Indigenous peoples, those with disabilities and our veterans.

We’re building a workforce more inclusive of women, people of colour, Indigenous peoples, those with disabilities and our veterans.

With a wider range of skills, voices and perspectives, we are stronger as a team.

With a wider range of skills, voices and perspectives, we are stronger as a team.

As a leading energy delivery company and a proud supporter of Women of Inspiration™, we would like to congratulate this year’s winners.

As a leading energy delivery company and a proud supporter of Women of Inspiration™, we would like to congratulate this year’s winners.

We especially want to recognize the incredible contribution Lavanya Hariharan has made to the inclusive culture at Enbridge. We are proud to have her represent our company as a 2022 Authentic Leader Award recipient

Go to enbridge.com/diversity to learn more.

We especially want to recognize the incredible contribution Lavanya Hariharan has made to the inclusive culture at Enbridge. We are proud to have her represent our company as a 2022 Authentic Leader Award recipient.

Go to enbridge.com/diversity to learn more.

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TIMELINE

March 8

Event tickets on sale

June 1, 2023

Deadline to Nominate

June 15, 2023

Deadline for Nomination Packages

September 6, 2023

Top Women of Inspiration™ announced

November 3, 2023

Top Companies + 2023

Women of Inspiration™

Awards Announced (Live event)

Oscar Style Awards Red Carpet

Keynote After Party

2023 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AWARDS

Nominate a Woman or Apply!

Nominate a SupportHER™ (Ally)

Nominate a Top Company – Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) SupportHER™ Champion.

Deadline June 1, 2023 | #WOI2023InspireChange

WHO IS A WOMAN OF INSPIRATION?

A Woman of Inspiration™ is an extraordinary woman who inspires those around her to be more and do more. She is an everyday hero, entrepreneur, CEO, business leader, changemaker, game-changer and role model. She uses her influence and position of power to inspire change. She is admired and respected for her resilience, leadership and humility. She has grit and fights for what she believes in, regardless of the barriers. She isn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves. She ignores the naysayers and fearlessly steps outside of her comfort zone to pave the road for others to follow.

NOMINATE OR APPLY NOW!

https://universalwomensnetwork.com/ women-inspiration/nominate-2023

AWARD CATEGORIES

This is the event of the season not to miss!

Become a Visible SupportHER™. Become a Sponsor! Contact us today!

Advocate & Catalyst for Change Award

Authentic Leader Award

BIPOC Leader Award

Dream Builder Award

Inspire Award

Game Changer

Global Impact

Lifetime Achievement Award

Rising Leader Award

SupportHER™ (Ally) Award *Male/Female

Trailblazer (STEM) Award

Women-Led Award

Vision Builder Award

Youth Excellence Award

Legend Award

OF INSPIRATION™ AWARDS ]

Women of Inspiration™ Awards recognizes the achievements of women who lead, inspire and motivate across North America. We celebrate women from diverse industries and stages of life along with the allies who SupportHER™.

A Woman of Inspiration™ is an extraordinary woman who inspires those around her to be more and do more. She is an everyday hero, entrepreneur, CEO, business leader, changemaker, game-changer and role model who leads by example with courage, confidence, commitment, and integrity.

She uses her influence and position of power to inspire change. She is admired and respected for her resilience, leadership and humility. She has grit and fights for what she believes in, regardless of the barriers. She isn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves. She ignores the naysayers and fearlessly steps outside of her comfort zone to pave the road for others to follow. A Woman of Inspiration doesn’t wait for opportunities, she creates them!

According to the United Nations Progress on the Sustainability Development Goals, it will take 286 years to close the global gender gap. Women’s representation in positions of power and decision-making remains below parity. By recognizing the accomplishments of women, we value her contribution while inspiring other women to do the same.

This year, we celebrate women inspiring change in their networks, workplaces and communities.

Who is a Woman of Inspiration™?

A Woman of Inspiration™ is a woman who inspires and motivates others through her words, actions, and achievements. She may be someone who has overcome challenges or adversity, or who has made a significant impact as an entrepreneur or leader within in her workplace, community or industry. A Woman of Inspiration™ is admired for her strength, resilience, determination, and leadership. She is seen as a role model and a source of guidance and support for those around her. A Woman of Inspiration™ is someone who leads by example, strives for excellence and demonstrates the ability to inspire and motivate others to be the best versions of themselves.

Why is Celebrating Women Important?

Celebrating women recognizes and honors their achievements and contributions. Recognizing women brings awareness to the contribution women are making in the economy, female entrepreneurship, and in industries underrepresented by women. Recognizing women inspires change for gender equality and challenges societal norms and stereotypes that may limit the potential of women and girls. By recognizing and celebrating the achievements of women, we can work to create a more inclusive and equitable society for everyone.

What is a SupportHER™?

SupportHER™s are male champions promoting the success and advancement for women in their networks, workplaces, and communities. A SupportHER™ is an ally (male or female) who offers guidance, encouragement and resources to help women achieve their goals, build their business or succeed in their careers. A SupportHER™ is a team player who champions for the inclusion of women in the goals and the vision of the enterprise and who paves the road to empower women in leadership roles.

NOMINATION PROCESS + TIMELINE

Step 1: Nominate or Apply before June 1

- Nominate a Woman or SupportHER™

https://universalwomensnetwork.com/womeninspiration/women-of-inspiration-awards/

- Nominate a Company

https://universalwomensnetwork.com/nominatetop-company-equity-diversity-and-inclusionsupporther-champion/

Step 2: Complete the Nomination Package by June 15, 2023

All Nomination Packages must be submitted by the deadline to be eligible.

Step 3: Purchase your tickets for the Women of Inspiration™ Awards - November 3, 2023

Timeline - Selection Committee Judging June 15 – 30

- Top Women of Inspiration™ Finalists Announced on September 6

- Women of Inspiration™ Awards + Top Company – Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) SupportHER™ Champion Announced on November 3

A Woman of Inspiration™ is an extraordinary woman who inspires those around her to be more and do more.

[ 2023 WOMEN OF INSPIRATION™ AWARDS ]

2023 Women of Inspiration™ Award Categories

Award Categories (Individual and Company)

Advocate and Catalyst for Change Award

Authentic Leader Award

BIPOC Leader Award

Dream Builder Award

Game Changer Award

Global Impact Award

Inspire Award

Lifetime Achievement Award

Rising Leader Award

SupportHER™ (Male Ally) Award

Trailblazer (STEM) Award

Women-Led Award

Vision Builder Award

Youth Excellence Award

Legend Award

*NEW* 2023 TOP COMPANY LIST

Nominate a Company Today!

*NEW*

for 2023 Top Company!

The Top Companies – Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) SupportHER™ Champions List recognizes companies that have demonstrated a commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. This award honors industry leaders who are taking meaningful action to create an inclusive culture, promote allyship and support the advancement of women and underrepresented groups.

- Are you a Company that values Equity, Diversity and Inclusion?

- Are you in the process of taking meaningful actions to create an inclusive culture?

- Do you promote allyship and the advancement of women and underrepresented groups?

- Do you want to share your commitment and dedication to the work you are doing but are uncertain of how you can do this?

Apply to be a Top Company and demonstrate that you value initiatives and making change!

Award Criteria – Top Company may be in the Public or the Private sector with a headquarters in Canada. Eligible candidates will show evidence of some or all the following:

- Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion with policies and practices

- Commitment to leading by example with female leaders in senior roles

- Commitment to initiatives to support the advancement of women in decision-making and leadership roles

- Commitment to diverse membership on the board of directors

- Commitment to allyship to create an equitable workplace

Deadline to Nominate a Top Company – June 1. Nomination Package Deadline June 15.

Learn more: https://universalwomensnetwork. com/nominate-top-company-equity-diversityand-inclusion-supporther-champion/

WHY RECOGNITION MATTERS

So why is it so important to recognize the achievements of women?

- We need role models to celebrate, learn from and aspire to be!

- When we see female entrepreneurs and women in positions of power, see what is possible. We inspire hope.

- When we learn about their journeys, what motivates them, how they overcame barriers and the steps they took along with way, we are inspired to do the same.

- When we celebrate their successes, we give permission for others to step into the spotlight and do the same.

- When we recognize their work, we pave the path for future leaders.

Every woman brings value to the table contributing unique skills, backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. We as women, foster innovation, embrace inclusion and have the power to influence others to do the same.

The Women of Inspiration™ Awards program shines the spotlight on ambitious and inspiring women from diverse backgrounds, industries and stages of life. They have one things in common. They are role models. They are entrepreneurs, Changemakers and business leaders who inspire change.

Study after study shows, that by advancing gender equality and women’s participation in the economy, Canada could add up to $150 billion in GDP by 2026. Elevating role models and recognizing their achievements is critical.

Recognizing a woman:

- Validates her worth and the impact she is making

- Helps her build credibility in her industry

- Paves the path for others

- Elevates her business as an industry leader

- Reconfirms she is on the right path

- Encourages other women to start business or leadership roles

- Brings awareness to industries underrepresented by women

- Inspires our future generation of young women

- Enables of others to learn from her journey, wisdom and experiences

- Connects her with other change makers, visionaries

- Provides her with new opportunites and connections

- Provides local, national and global visibility

- Empower others to dream big

- Elevates the diversity of culture, backgrounds and industries

- Creates part of her legacy

- Motivates her to keep going

- Celebrates the achievements of all women. Representation matters.

We all play a role to SupportHER™. The collective voices of people in our networks, our families, and our teams play a critical role to advance women personally and professionally.

Let her know you VALUE her contribution. SupportHER™ on her journey!

Nominate a woman or SupportHER™ (Male Ally) who we need to know about!

Nominate 365 days. https:// universalwomensnetwork.com/womeninspiration/nominate-2023/

PRESENTED BY

LISTEN

Get Certified! Get Visible!

Universal Women-Owned™ | Women-Led Certification

Certifying your business opens opportunities for you to position your company. Certification allows businesswomen to increase visibility and connect to opportunities that otherwise may not be available to them — such as access to key supplier diversity and procurement executives.

Approximately 97% of Fortune 500 companies have a supplier diversity program where they attribute a percentage of their annual spending to sourcing from under-represented diverse suppliers (including women-owned, women-led businesses). With these contracts available to diverse suppliers, it provides an invaluable opportunity for women to grow and internationalize their business.

Gain the advantage of submitting RFP as many municipalities have mandates to support women-owned/ led businesses. While it is not a guarantee, it separates you from the rest!

Universal Women-Owned™

• 51% owned by one or more women,

• Managed by a female principal executive or;

• Controlled or operated by women in crucial business making decisions (dealing with the company’s finances, operations, personnel, or strategy)

Women-Owned Certification

Proudly market your business publicly as WomenOwned/Led

• Opportunities for your business to increase revenue

• Access to key diversity and procurement executives

• Connect with buyers who have mandates to work with Women-Owned/led businesses

• Brand your product or service with your Certification Logo

• Be visible to the consumer, shareholders, partners as Women-Owned/Led

• Provide the consumer the benefit to show they support Women-Owned with your certification

• Logo for your website, email signature, service, or packaging on your products

Universal Women-Owned Certification

https://universalwomensnetwork.com/womenowned-certified

Universal Women-Led™

• Female-founder, co-founder, or in an executive position as the visionary or driving the direction of the business with long-term control and management of the business

• Active role in strategic decision making – involved in elements related to the establishment of priorities, objectives, and goals for the business, along with overall day-to-day operations and decision making of the business

• She must have an equity stake in the company to demonstrate ownership in the company

GET CERTIFIED!

Universal Women-Led Certification https://universalwomensnetwork.com/universalwomen-led-certification

WOMEN SEEN, HEARD, VALUED! We asked entrepreneurs, senior executives, high powered women, executives and business owners to tell us about the SupportHER™ allies and champions who have helped influence them and supported them on their journey.

It is not us vs them. It is time to change the conversation. Men often say they do not understand how women think or understand the barriers and they really do not; however, they are all ears when you begin to tell them.

Our allies are all around us and play a critical role in our homes, workplaces and communities as fathers, sons, mentors, advisors, sponsors, investors, coaches, advisors and investors.

Tell us about your SupportHER™s and the impact of how male champions have supported you?

HUMANIZING LIFE AS WE AGE

What our parents want as they age (and what we want too)

Most of us will be, or already are, caregivers to older loved ones. Over half of Canadians, at some point, will provide unpaid care to a family member or friend. In a country where our population of older adults will grow to nearly 10 million by 2030, aging care is an issue most of us will encounter.

Here are three concepts to consider as you navigate caregiving. These aren’t the regular tips that you may find if you google "family and friend caregivers”. These are ideas that will hopefully shift your perspective of aging and help you better understand what’s most important to the older adults you love. Hint: It’s the same things we want for ourselves – now and as we get older.

Aging is social

We are all aging. It is the one social condition that we all experience – if we are fortunate. If we consider aging in this way, we understand that enabling social care is equally as important to accessing health care as we get older.

Our entire system of aging care has been born out of institutionalized care. We have clinicized aging when aging is not a medical condition. Certainly, there are conditions like dementia, diabetes, and heart disease that may become more prevalent as we age, but they do not require aging care in and of themselves.

Aging should be treated socially. This means remaining connected to family, friends and community is priority number one. Ensuring continued access to transportation to get to and from the activities you enjoy, modifying your home to accommodate decreased eyesight, hearing or mobility, and finding ways to connect with people daily are of highest importance.

Older Adults are Adults

Most of us know that the term “seniors” is not politically correct these days. It was replaced in re-cent years by the term “older adults”. The aging care sector adopted this naming convention and it permeating public norms.

Many “seniors” themselves don’t care much about this distinction, but it’s interesting to pause and consider what the change represents. The terminology aims to value lived experience and the wisdom gained over the years.

However, the truth is the terminology is temporary – or at least I hope it is. The key word is “adults”. When we drop the “older” we realize that there isn’t a difference between how we should treat one another whether we are 35 or 75. In both cases, we want to be treated with respect and dignity and be empowered to make our own decisions.

Freedom in decision-making is key. Ensuring easy access to the information and resources re-quired to make choices over your own life is key. This most often is reflected in the desire to re-main in your own home. I know that is where I want to live for as long as possible. If you focus on social care, you have a greater chance of aging in place.

Life is a Circle

I don’t believe aging is a return to childhood – a notion contrary to the point about adulthood that I have already made. However, I do believe that older adults and children should be together, as much and as often as possible.

In simple terms, children need to play and learn. Tweens want to fit in. Teens are seeking independence. In each case older adults can be great companions; in fact they often have the same needs.

Look for any opportunity to connect the generations. This is where you will find purpose and joy and ultimately where our youth will develop the empathy required to humanize life as we age.

About the Author

Aimée Foreman is the Founder & CEO of Silvermark; an advisory firm in the silver economy. She is committed to bringing equity to aging through her writing, speaking, and design strategy by placing older adults at the heart of decision-making. She is a mom of two.

Founder & CEO of Silvermark

silvermark.ca

HOW YOUR VALUES SUPPORT WHO YOU ARE

Life is about evolution. Life IS evolution. There’s no way around it. Evolution allows this wonderful question to be explored. The question of who am I?

The challenge is that when we open ourselves up to evolving, we can rarely see what’s beyond the horizon, shining its brilliant light on what’s ahead of us. This is frustrating, uncomfortable, and incredibly discombobulating. It's trying to the last nerve and every drop of patience we can muster. Yet, this evolution expansion is completely hope-inducing.

Who am I? Such a beautifully curious question, isn’t it? The only way we can truly find the answer is by moving forward in the knowledge and experiences we have, coupled with the deep seeded dreams that we may be too frightened to share (or have even yet discovered).

So, what in the world can we do, should we find ourselves contemplating this question over and over again as we continue to evolve over and over again? What can we do to uncover some semblance of an answer to who am I?

Look to your core values

During the Universal Womens Network™ Discover Your Values masterclass I presented at in January 2023, then you heard me share this quote:

About the Author Lindsay Harle-Kadatz is a speaker and business consultant focused on team behaviour via culture and brand alignment. She was the recipient of the 2019 Women of Inspiration™ - Influencer Award. To learn more about Lindsay, follow her on LinkedIn or visit brpconsulting.ca

"Values are who we are. Not who we would like to be, not who we think we should be, but who we are in our lives right now." – Laura

Whitworth

This quote captures so much beauty in helping us gain clarity on who we are today. It doesn't mean that our values won't change (other than our one core foundational value). It simply means that we are who we are, exactly in this moment. When we look to our values – or even start down the road to understanding what our values are – we gain clarity on how we define and express OUR personal values. Therefore, we gain a bit more clarity on WHO we are. Since our values are also our aligned beliefs upon which we take action, they show us the very next step forward. Even if it's a wee shuffle instead of a full step.

2019 Women of Inspiration™ Influencer Award brpconsulting.ca

Notice when you’re in our flow

Taking our values one step further, they give us insight into when we are in a flow state - those moments when we become one with the activity that we are doing, surprising ourselves with the ease with which we perform while reflecting the best within ourselves. It goes much further than simple enjoyment. It goes to the deeper theory that our flow states are closely linked to our true selves. Flow states are often connected with our passion. This begs the question; how do we begin to know what our passion is? Take a moment and ask yourself:

- What activity do you find important?

- Why do you find it important?

- What about it do you enjoy and why?

By exploring these questions, we're more likely to recognize what positively challenges us, when we lose time in an activity, when there is no real distinction between our thinking and doing, and so forth. Our flow states give us keen insight into who we are - your true who.

To learn more about flow states and finding flow, look up Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the father of flow theory.

Think of your younger self

Think back to the bright soul you were before the world told you who you should be. I know I'm still a ways from that happy-go-lucky elf of a child I once was. But, when I think back to her, I remember the innocent imagination of play, of colour, of giggles. She was a weird, quirky spirit who was larger than life. Over time, she became silent, and I am still reawakening her from an extremely long slumber. It's in this reflection, though, that I remember the play, the desire to help, and the wanting to be of use by bringing joy and a smile to this world. Our younger self has so much wisdom in answering who am I? because they hadn't yet taken on anyone else's mask.

Unleash your big dreams

Our larger-than-life dreams tap into hints of who we are. They provide insight into what our values are, what excites us, and what type of world we want to live in. Unleash our dreams and we get to start building the world that we're meant to be a part of.

Start by saying what dream of yours you haven’t admitted to yourself for fear that it may never happen. This is the dream you should start moving towards as it's telling you a huge piece of who you are.

Challenge those limiting beliefs

One of the hardest things we'll ever do is rewrite a belief that is keeping us small, that is holding us back, that is screaming louder than who we truly are. These beliefs didn't just appear. They came from somewhere and, at one point, they kept us safe. But, when the question who am I? rears its head, this is when these limiting beliefs create a cacophony of "here's who we will never be". Once we identify these limiting beliefs that are keeping us from who we are, challenge them! Ask:

- Where did it come from?

- When did it serve you well?

- Why is this no longer useful?

- Who can you become without it?

It's not a matter of reprimanding ourselves for having this belief as it did once serve us. It's about releasing it so we can realize who we truly are.

Don't go it alone

No one can achieve a life worth living by themselves. Life is meant to be lived in community. It's meant to have people helping and lifting one another. We're meant to be a part of something greater than ourselves. In this, we learn where our unique who am I answer fits. There is absolutely no shame in not being able to answer who am I? without a little help from our friends. They are our cheerleaders and remind us of who we are when we may be veering off our ever-unfolding path.

Most importantly, remember that as we work our way through these thoughts, it takes a brave soul to even ask the question who am I? Know that you are a brave soul doing a brave thing that so many people will never ask in their lifetime.

So, keep asking who are you? Your answer will surprise you.

To Discover Your Values, watch the Universal Womens Network Masterclass here:

https://youtu.be/7GZpHZRbDyM

Values are who we are. Not who we would like to be, not who we think we should be, but who we are in our lives right now.

Bestselling Author

2022 Women of Inspiration™ Authentic Leader Award

UWomen Magazine™ contributor

MATRICENTRIC FEMINISM

There are currently about 2.2 billion mothers living in the world – and according to Statistics Canada, 9.8 million of these mothers – biological, adoptive, and stepmothers – live in Canada. It is generally accepted that motherhood as a relationship with one’s children and power of reproduction is extremely important and makes a valuable contribution to society, yet for some reason feminists (self-admittedly) have done a poor job representing the interests of mothers. Scholar Leah Williams Veazey suggested that the reason motherhood is noticeably absent from most feminist scholarship is that many feminists feel ambivalent about motherhood. She posited that feminists “do not want to reify or essentialize it” and fear “that a focus on motherhood can be more easily co-opted for a conservative rather than a progressive agenda.” She noted, however, that “the vast majority of women will experience motherhood in their lifetime and it will affect their identity, their financial and material circumstances, their relationships, their social status” and more.

About the Author

Tina Powell is a bestselling author, a nationally published journalist, an award-winning communicator, and a Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies Graduate Student. She is also a 2022 Women of Inspiration™ Authentic Leader, Universal Womens Network™ Influencer Member and a regular contributor to UWomen Magazine™.

Motherhood is indeed a labour of love and can bring great joy – but make no mistake – it is still LABOUR. It’s also a social construct, an institution, and a practice – not a woman’s sole identity. In “The Myths of Motherhood” psychologist Shari L. Thurer alleged, “On delivering a child, a woman becomes a factotum, a life-support system. Her personal desires either evaporate or metamorphose so that they are identical with those of her infant.” In short, Thurer asserted that as soon as a woman becomes a mother, she “ceases to exist.” (Hardly an ideal Mother’s Day greeting from Hallmark!)

Adrienne Rich, author of the seminal maternal theory text Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience & Institution explained, “Institutionalized motherhood demands of women maternal ‘instinct’ rather than intelligence, selflessness rather than self-realization, relation to others rather than the creation of self.” Author and activist bell hooks argued, “Female parenting is significant and

valuable work which must be recognized as such by everyone in society, including feminist activists.” Yet as Rich points out, motherhood is still a “crucial, still relatively unexplored, area for feminist theory.” When you Google the words “kinds of feminism,” a plethora of feminisms appear, including Liberal Feminism, Radical Feminism, Black Feminism, Marxist and Socialist Feminism, Eco Feminism, and more. You might even find something called Maternal Feminism, but this brand of feminism from the late 19th and early 20th centuries embraced traditional domestic roles, conservative morality, and did not in any way threaten existing gender roles.

Clearly, the relationship between mothers and feminists is somewhat “complicated.”

Considering all the above, renowned York University professor and Demeter Press founder Andrea O’Reilly conceived Matricentric Feminism and in 2016 published her field-defining book Matricentric Feminism: Theory, Activism, Practice. O’Reilly’s Matricentric Feminism in no way supports a maternalist agenda and is based on the following governing principles:

- Mothering work is ESSENTIAL

- It should NOT be THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF MOTHERS

- Matricentric Feminism CHALLENGES PATRIARCHAL OPPRESSION and EMPOWERS mothers

- It shifts the child ‘centredness’ that defines current scholarship and activism to a MOTHER FOCUS

- It is committed to SOCIAL CHANGE and SOCIAL JUSTICE in order to reposition mothering as a SITE OF POWER.

- It understands mothering and motherhood to be DIVERSE across race, class, culture, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, age, and geographical location

Although O’Reilly believed motherhood “is the unfinished business of feminism,” she did not think Matricentric Feminism should replace feminism. O’Reilly stated the goal of Matricentric Feminism is to emphasize that “the category of mother is distinct from the category of women and that many of the problems mothers face—social, economic, political, cultural, psychological, and so forth—are specific to women’s role and identity as mothers.” Moreover, she stated that motherhood is neither natural nor instinctual. Mother work, like any other type of work, takes intelligence, skill, and practice. In conclusion, mothering is a verb … which means anyone – fathers, siblings, aunts, uncles, nannies, caregivers, daycare workers – can mother.

So, on Mother’s Day and every day, hats off to all the mothers out there and… Happy Matricentric Feminist Mother’s Day! (Now that’s a greeting card I’d like to receive!)

The mother of Matricentric Feminism, Dr. Andrea O’Reilly.

THE FOREFRONT OF INTIMACY

We have collectively experienced an unprecedented event through the pandemic. Like never before, our relationships now stare at us in the face and we are forced to look long and hard at the results of our efforts – or lack thereof.

We all feel it. Couples are really feeling it. Lawyers have been reporting steep rises in the amount of couples separating as we emerge out of these truly testing times because the moment we taste the overwhelm in our heads – and in our homes – we hit the escape button from the reality of our intimate relationships.

Healthy relationships will thrive in difficult times –and dysfunctional ones will start gasping for life support, grasping at anything (even infidelity), in an effort to survive this test. In grasping at anything, they let go of devotion and fold –because they have not been given the tools to ride the tide, and thrive.

In any situation, no matter how challenging, there is always an opportunity to be found. And I’d like to think that the opportunity of the recent pandemic is to re-establish connection – a devotion to self, the people we care about, our purpose, and all the things that we have forgotten mattered to us.

Because we have been forced to slow down, we get to shine light on what’s been driving us and hit the reset button and evaluate what’s been working and what hasn’t.

And nowhere is this more important than in the area of our intimate relationships.

As a society, we are not taught to do intimacy well. Our modern culture has injected our minds with lack, while at the same time idolizing anything that provides instant gratification and a sense of the individual over anything else. We are not taught intimacy or pleasure – with ourselves or with others – but when we learn that we can actually use intimacy and relationships to power up our lives, in healthy, vibrant ways, we gain access to a whole new level of connection, altogether.

True intimacy is not just ‘a fantastic f**k’. It is about submission, devotion and vulnerability. (The fantastic f**king comes later, as the inevitable outcome of these states of being.) You can only access the level of intimacy with another, to the degree which you can access it within yourself. The test: can you look into the eyes of another person, hold their gaze and surrender yourself… without flinching?

I invite you to say no to the easy escapes to your relationship difficulties and, no matter how challenging it may seem, dive deep into the enduring, confronting landscape of sacred intimacy and see where it takes you… you just may be surprised.

About the Author

Theano Evagelou is heralded as a modern-day love doctor for busy, high performing leaders, Theano is both a government-certified Certified Sexologist, Relationship Coach and Women’s Health Specialist, who guides visionary women to master their sexual power to create the lives they deserve and desire. Theano currently offers tailored consultancy and guidance for both individuals, couples, and corporations. Her clients describe her advisory as “powerful”, “provocative”, “challenging” and “life-changing”. Theano will invite you into your most difficult places and hold a stark mirror of truth with deep compassion.

Be a Visible SupportHER™.You will be ready to rock those morning zoom meetings and let them know you're an ally!

Set

Your

Intentions and Dream Big!

Start the year with intention, clarity, and focus. What will your guiding One Word for the year ahead?

A Badass Key Ring! Start a conversation to move the needle to break that brick ceiling! Great for gifts for the team or our favorite... just because you ROCK!

M LIST FAVOURITE THINGS

These are a few of my favorite things. I love the classics and little luxuries. While some may think black and white staples are boring, it brings me comfort and it never goes out of style! Here are my favorite things and somethings like the Carula Mar that are on my vision board! I love reading about the stories of Women of Inspiration™ who have risen to the top despite their challenges, companies that have a story, are women-led and have a bigger purpose. As an entrepreneur myself, I choose my purchases wisely, quality over quantity and keep it simple. Are you a women-owned business? Have something you would love to see considered for an upcoming issue?? Connect with us, we would love to hear from you.

ALBA BRACELET + NECKLACE

I am a fan of the classics – Classics never go our of style. These everyday essentials are perfect are the perfect transition from day to night, or the beach!

sarahbaeumler.com

APRIL SHOWERS BRINGS MAY FLOWERS. OBSESSED TALL HEELED RUBBER BOOTS

We caught a glimpse of these Tall-Heeled Hunter Rubber Boots watching the trailer for Pamela Andreson’s – A Love Story. She was sporting these on her John Deer tractor moving the lawn. These are a year-round staple you can go from the garden to drinks with the girls.

hunterboots.com

Inspire others! Badass!

INSPIRED SERIES – NOTE CARDS

Does she inspire you? Let her know you see her, you hear her and she is worth it! I am a fan of handwritten note cards. We designed our blank note cards that are perfect to inspire your team, say thank you, or congratulate. Recognition goes a long way. Handwritten cards are cherished and never forgotten.

UWN SHOP –universal-womens-network.myshopify.com

FINDING ME - VIOLA DAVIS (A MEMOIR)

Viola Davis is an award-winning American actress and producer. I love to learn about the women that have gone from humble beginnings and had a deep knowing from within that they were destined for greatness. Viola Davis shared in an interview that through the characters she played it allowed her to heal the trauma she endured growing up. Her book is authentic, raw, brave and inspiring. “My biggest discovery was that you can literally re-create your life.”

treat yourself!

CARULA MAR (HAPPY)

Fell in love watching the transformation of Island of Bryan as Bryan and Sarah Baeumler turned a rundown property located in South Andros, Bahamas into a luxury resort called Carula Mar, which in English means “happy”. The name is suited for this slice of heaven where anyone would be happy.

caerulamar.com

YOUR SKIN BUT BETTER FOUNDATION + SKINCARE

We love this buildable medium coverage foundation. It’s a staple that feels light, evens your skin tone and you can build on certain areas to cover sunspots. Founder Jaime Kern Lima partnered with plastic surgeons and dermatologists to create problem solving cosmetics. She is sold her brand to L’Oreal for $1.2 billion and listed on the Forbes list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women since 2017.

Itcosmetics.ca

BLACK SEQUIN BLAZER + WIDE LEG TROUSER

You can wear sequins all year. This is showstopper sequin suit is timeless and great for taking the spotlight on stage. The best part, its the end of season so you can get it on sale! Ps. Those with long legs will love the length on the pants.

tedbaker.com

ICONIC PUMP

During the pandemic, flats were my friend, and I didn’t miss wearing heels. I’ve only had one pair of heels that I could wear all day and even dance in. Needless to say as you age, your feel grow, so I was on the search for a classic pump that would go with everything. A skinny jean, skirt or pant suit. These are ICONIC and comfy. The black is a must and the nude, it is the most beautiful nude I have seen. You are welcome!

sameldeman.ca

PAMELA ANDRESON –A LOVE STORY (#1 NETFLIX)

A Love Story featuring the iconic Pamela Anderson in her own worlds. A story of her pursuit of love. Pamela bravely shares 30 years of her life unfiltered. Her story is empowering, and we cannot help but love her even more!

2015 Woman of Inspiration Legacy Award: Diane Harms

2016 Advocate & Catalyst for Change Award: Tamara Jones

2016 Game Changer Award: Teresa de Grosbois

2016 Boss Chick Award: Kim Deep

2016 Difference Maker Award: Elizabeth Lewis

2016 Millennial Leader Award: Mackenzie Murphy

2016 Lifetime Achievement Award: Donna Dahl

2016 Cultural Ambassador Award: Aretha Greatrix

2016 Health & Wellness Award: Jacqualine Cameron

2016 Mentorship Award: Lana Wright

2017 Trailblazer (STEM) Award: Deanna Burghart

2017 Lifetime Achievement Award: Lea Romanowski

2017 Game Changer Award: Karen Klassen

2017 Mompreneur Award: Lisa Mundell

2017 Advocate & Catalyst for Change Award: Marija Pavkovic-Tovissi

2017 Boss Chick Award: Michelle Andrishak

2017 Cultural Ambassador Award: Sophie Armstrong

2017 Millennial Leader Award: Sophia Fairweather

2017 Difference Maker Award: Raman Kapoor

2017 Boss Chick Award: Nora Molina

2018 Global Impact Award: Audrey Mascarenhas

2018 The Nest Award: Cindy Luffer

2018 Unsung Hero Award: Debora Bergeson

2018 Difference Maker Award: Dr. Jody Carrington

2018 Global Influencer Award: Dr. Laura Hambley-Lovett

2018 Boss Chick Award: Filomena Abdi

2018 Power Partner Award: Heather Erlen

2018 Millennial Leader Award: Jessica Tsang

2018 Advocate & Catalyst for Change Award: Karen Stewart

2018 Game Changer Award: Kimberley Van Vliet

2018 Authentic Leader Award: Marsha Laine-Dungog

2018 Cultural Ambassador Award: Michelle Minke

2018 Trailblazer (STEM) Award: Rena Tabata

2018 Lifetime Achievement Award: Vera Goodman

2018 Mentorship Award: Yvonne E.L. Silver

2018 SupportHER™ Award: Tara Wilson

2018 Innovative Leader Award: Maria Martinello

2018 Mompreneur Award: Shannon Collins

2019 Indigenous Leader Award: Anaida Deti

2019 The Nest Award: Andrea Twizell

2019 Cultural Ambassador Award: Armineh Keshishian

2019 Youth Advocate Award: Brenda McWilson-Okorogba

2019 Game Changer Award: Cassandra Nordell

2019 Global Executive Leader Award: Catherine Yuile

2019 Diversity & Inclusiveness Award: Chantel Soumis

2019 Global Achievement Award: Christine Nielsen

2019 Trailblazer (STEM) Award: Dana Tessier

2019 Authentic Leader Award: Debbie Burke-Benn

2019 Rural Leader Award: Denise Alison

2019 Inspire Award: Faten Alshazly

2019 Millennial Leader Award: Jamie Kramer

2019 Mompreneur Award: Jennifer Ladouceur

2019 Global Impact Award: Joan Kelley Walker

2019 Authentic Leader Award: Jocelyn Flanagan

2019 Global Influencer Award: Johanne Belanger

2019 SupportHER™ Award: Julian Smit

2019 Humanitarian Award: Kavita Dogra

2019 Health & Wellness Advocate Kim Fitzpatrick

2019 Inspire Award: Lindsey Penrose

2019 Innovator Award: Dr. Liza Egbogah

2019 Cultural Ambassador Award: Luma Qusus

2019 Mentorship Award: Maria Sofia

2019 Advocate & Catalyst for Change Award: Marnie Grundman

2019 Mompreneur Award: Sandra Challenger

2019 Power Partner Award: Michael Hyatt

2019 SupportHER™ Award: Mike Giannoumis

2019 Rising Star Award: Mylene Tu

2019 Rising Star Award: Nadine Abdallah

2019 Rising Star Award: Prajwala Dixit

2019 SupportHER™ Award: Rebecca McKillican

2019 Indigenous Leader Award: Rochelle Laflamme

2019 Cultural Ambassador Award: Sappho Smythe

2019 Innovative Leader Award: Shelly Elsliger

2019 Diversity & Inclusiveness Award: Siobhan Calderbank

2019 SupportHER™ Award: Tim Alison

2019 Impact Award: Trish Ronan

2019 Inspire Award: Trudy Trinh

2019 Vision Builder Award: Vanessa Vakharia

2019 Mentorship Award: Theresa Rowsell

2019 Millennial Leader Award: Katie Schaffers

2019 Change Agent Award: Tracy Schmitt

2019 Authentic Leader Award: Anila Lee Yeun

2019 Difference Maker Award: Alison Springer

2019 Game Changer Award: Am&a Hamilton

2019 Heath & Wellness Award: Andrea Muir

2019 Difference Maker Award: Andrea Robertson

2019 Cultural Ambassador Award: Angel Guerra

2019 Go-Getter Award: Angie Ostojic

2019 Innovation Award: Anne Sellmer

2019 Power Partner Award: Arjun Channa

2019 Millennial Leader Award: Arlene Seymour

2019 Mentorship Award: Brenda Beckedorf

2019 Trailblazer (STEM) Award: Cara Wolf

2019 Rural Leader Award: Carmen Vetian

2019 Indigenous Leader Award: Carrie Manitopyes

2019 The Nest Award: Christma Nathali

2019 Trailblazer (STEM) Award: Christy Lane

2019 Unsung Hero Award: Cynthia Hamilton Urquhart

2019 SupportHER™ Award: Deb Milimaka Miles

2019 Global Difference Maker Award: Desiree Bombenon

2019 Advocate & Catalyst for Change Award: Diane Colley-Urquhart

2019 Lifetime Achievement Award: Elfriede Holtkamp

2019 Mentorship Award: Eno Eka

2019 Global Impact Award: Gina Cherkowsk

2019 Inspire Award: Grace Yan

2019 Global Achievement Award: Jennifer Carlson

2019 Rural Leader Award: Julie Boake

2019 Youth Excellence Award: Kaiya Gamble

2019 Inspire Award: Karen Sherbut

2019 Mentorship Award: Kendra Kincade

2019 Indigenous Leader Award: Kyla Lee

2019 SupportHER™ Award: Larry Goerzen

2019 Customer Experience Award: Layna Segall

2019 Vison Builder Award: Lesley Rigg

2019 Influencer Award: Lindsay Harle-Kadatz

2019 Mompreneur Award: Marlo Brausse

2019 Unsung Hero Award: Mary Fischer

2019 Inspire Award: Rhonda Goldberg

2019 Indigenous Leader Award: Rhonda Head

2019 Trailblazer (STEM) Award: Robyn Woods (Henderson)

2019 Diversity & Inclusiveness Award: Sandy Pound

2019 The Nest Award: Sarah Hawco

2019 Integrity Award: Sarah Leamon

2019 Humanitarian Award: Sharilyn Amy

2019 Impact Award: Sharon A.M. MacLean

2019 Global Influencer Award: Sheila Musgrove

2019 Innovative Leader Award: Shirley Penner

2019 Diversity & Inclusiveness Award: Sydney Cowling

2019 Cultural Ambassador Award: Teresa Spinelli

2019 Change Agent Award: Uyen Nguyen

2020 Advocate & Catalyst for Change Award: Jodeme Goldhar

2020 Advocate & Catalyst for Change Award: Monique Auffrey

2020 Authentic Leader Alma Arzate

2020 Authentic Leader Award: Jenn Lofgren

2020 Black Leader Award: Margaret Adu

2020 Black Leader Award: Nothabo Ncube

2020 Covid-19 Leader Award: Angie Kim

2020 Covid-19 Leader Award: Evelyne Nyairo

2020 Cultural Ambassador Award: Krista Malden

2020 Cultural Ambassador Award: Sabine Weber

2020 Customer Ex[erience Award: Adele Spraggon

2020 Customer Experience Award: Judith Virag

2020 Difference Maker Award: Vanisha Breault

2020 Diversity & Inclusiveness Award: Keshia Holloman-Dawson

2020 Diversity & Inclusiveness Award: Lorin MacDonald

2020 Dream Builder Award: Anuja Sharma-Virani

2020 Dream Builder Award: Monica Dauenhauer

2020 Game Changer Award: Jennifer Commins

2020 Game Changer Award: Karen MacNeill

2020 Global Impact Award: Helle Bank Jorgensen

2020 Global Impact Award: Jeanette Jackson

2020 Health & Wellness Award: Connie Jakab

2020 Health & Wellness Award: Karen Adams

2020 Indigenous Leader Award: Lori Campbell

2020 Indigenous Leader Award: Wendy Lumby

2020 Influencer Award: Blaise Hunter

2020 Influencer Award: Jana Webb

2020 Innovation Award: Laura Grant

2020 Innovation Award: Sharon Vinderine

2020 Inspire Award: Lisa Lisson

2020 Inspire Award: Neeru Schippel

2020 Integrity Award: Karen Fellowes

2020 Integrity Award: Karen Somerville

2020 Jr. Advocate & Catalyst for Change Award: Gurjot Kaur Singh

2020 Lifetime Achievement Award: Karen Fonseth

2020 Lifetime Achievement Award: Patricia Gagic

2020 Mentorship Award: Deborah Rodrigo

2020 Mentorship Award: Susan deRyk

2020 Millennial Leader Award: Lindsay Jones

2020 Millennial Leader Award: Lulu Liang

2020 Nest Award: Maeghen Cotterill

2020 Nest Award: Sibel Coskuner

2020 Rising Leader Award: Geetika Joshi

2020 Rising Leader Award: Jolie Gan

2020 Rural Leader Award: Ejibola Adetokunbo-Taiwo

2020 Rural Leader Award: Shelley Uvanile-Hesch

2020 Social Impact Award: Carlene Donnelly

2020 Social Impact Award: Margot Witz

2020 SupportHER™ Award: Christina Chow

2020 SupportHER™ Award: Dominic Vogel

2020 SupportHER™ Award: Marc Bombenon

2020 SupportHER™ Award: Paul Doroshenko

2020 SupportHER™ Award: Victoria Lennox

2020 Trailblazer (STEM) Award: Anu Bidani

2020 Trailblazer (STEM) Award: Sara Badiei

2020 Vision Builder Award: Jessica Jui

2020 Vision Builder Award: Towunmi Coker

2020 Women in Media Award: Angela Sterritt

2020 Women in Media Award: Tracy Lamourie

2020 Youth Excellence Award: Boluwatife Adefemi

2020 Youth Excellence Award: Chloe Shingoose

2021 Advocate & Catalyst for Change Award: Trish Guise

2021 Authentic Leader Award: Andrea Linger

2021 Authentic Leader Award: Fatima Israel

2021 Authentic Leader Award: Heather Lochnan

2021 Authentic Leader Award: Kayla Isabelle

2021 Authentic Leader Award: Laura Didyk

2021 Authentic Leader Award: Marcela Lay

2021 Authentic Leader Award: Payal Puri

2021 Authentic Leader Award: Stephanie Leheta

2021 Authentic Leader Award: Victoria Nguyen

2021 Black Women Leader Award: Evangeline Chima

2021 Cultural Ambassador Award: Patti Jannetta

2021 Customer Experience Award: Eldeen Pozniak

2021 Difference Maker Award: Dr. Smita Pakhale

2021 Diversity & Inclusiveness Award Presented by Randstad Canada: Katherine (Katie) Dudtschak

2021 Dream Builder Award Presented by AMJ: Campbell Jennifer Green

2021 Economic Empowerment Award: Sonya Shorey

2021 Game Changer Award: Suzie Yorke

2021 Global Impact Award: Dr. Suhayya (Sue) Abu-Hakima

2021 Health & Wellness Award: Amber Zenith

2021 Heidi Stevenson Unsung Hero Award: presented by Canada's Valour Games Captain Linda Feuerhelm

2021 Indigenous Leader Award: Presented by Hexo Corp. Jennifer Ménard-Shand

2021 Influencer Award: Vahen King

2021 Innovation Award Presented by Turbo Images: Sarah Jordan

2021 Inspire Award: Dr Sonya Richmond

2021 Integrity Award: Rose Marie Gage

2021 Lifetime Achievement Award: Hazel McCallion

2021 Mentorship Award: Erin Bigney

2021 Millennial Leader Award: Charlie Wall-Andrews

2021 Raising the Bar Award: Helen Filipe

2021 Rising Leader Award: Rebecca McLaren

2021 Rural Leader Award: Kara Alicia Kennish

2021 Social Impact Award: Meseret Haileyesus

2021 SupportHER™ Award Presented by Raymond James: Chantal & Brian Milloy

2021 Nest Award Presented by Banff Sunshine” Village Koleya Karringten

2021 Trailblazer Award Presented by Mitacs: Jaime Leverton

2021 Transformational Leader Award: Theano Evagelou

2021 Transformational Leader Award: Christine Dagenais

2021 Vision Builder Award: Phoebe Wasfy

2021 Women in Media Award: Tracie Gray

2021 Women-Led Award Presented by SureCall: Robin Kovitz

2021 Youth Excellence Award Presented by RBC: Olivia Day

2021 Youth Excellence Award Presented by RBC: Zafina Zaman

2021 Immigrant Leader Award: Ariyike Akinbobola

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Name Title, Company Website

Aimée Foreman Founder and CEO, Silvermark silvermark.ca

Allison Mclauchlan Executive Director, Kelowna Women's Shelter kelownawomensshelter.ca

Ally Stone Founder, The Inspired Leader theinspiredleader.com

Amelie Mongrain Fashion Entrepreneur, AM360 Sphère Inc. makingfashion.co

Andrea Carter CEO and Founder, Building Better Organizations | Neuroscience Based Equity and Inclusion Intelligence Consultant"

Andrea Linger Associate Vice President, Practice Management and Head of the Women Canadian Advisors Network, Raymond James Ltd.

Aretha Greatrix Executive Producer, Miyo Pimatisiwin Productions Inc. | 2016 Women of Inspiration™ Cultural Ambassador Award

buildingbetterorganizations.com

raymondjames.ca

arethagreatrix.com

Armineh Keshishian Founder and CEO, Wealth and Wellness Global wealthandwellnessglobal.com

Boluwatife (Bolu)

Adefemi Singer and Songwriter, BoluSings | 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ Youth Excellence Award | UWN Youth Ambassador

Carmen Vetian Owner and Partner, Carmen Vetian Professional Corporation | 2019 Women of Inspiration™ Rural Leader Award

bolusings.com

cavprofcorp.ca

Carolyn Levy President Technologies & Chief Diversity Officer, Randstad Canada randstad.ca

Chantal Milloy Co-founder and COO, Levvel Inc. levvel.ca

Chesand S. Gregory Entrepreneur, Jchess chesandgregory.com

Cheryl Cardinal Director of Indigenous Policy and Procurement | Office of the Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada

Chloe Shingoose Singer, Athlete | 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ Youth Excellence | UWN Youth Ambassador

Cindy Watson CEO and Founder, Women on Purpose womenonpurpose.ca

Connie Jakab CEO, Brave Tribe | Senior Manager, Wellness Innovate | 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ Award Health and Wellness Award

conniejakab.com

Crystal Pretula The Head Honcho. Prairie Chick Prints | 2019 Woman of Inspiration™ SupportHER™ Award prairiechickprints.com

Cynthia Hamilton Urquhart Authour, Speaker | Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer (Ret’d) | 2019 Woman of Inspiration™ Unsung Hero Award

cynthiahamiltonurquhart.com

Dana Levenson TV Personality danalevenson.ca

Denise Allen President and CEO, Food Producers of Canada(FPC) foodproducersofcanada.ca

Desiree Bombenon CEO and Chief Disruption Officer, SureCall Contact Centers Inc.| 2019 Woman of Inspiration™ Global Difference Maker Award

surecallcc.com

Devi Rajani Villegas Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting fticonsulting.com

Di Gallo Digital Marketing Executive Leader

Diane Harms Family Law Lawyer, Daunais McKay + Harms | 2015 Woman of Inspiration™ Advocate & Catalyst for Change - Legacy Award

dmhlaw.ca

Dixie Dayka Fund Development Coordinator, The Mustard Seed | UWN National Ambassador theseed.ca

Name Title, Company

Donna P. Dahl Master Empowerment Coach, Editor and Author | 2016 Women of Inspiration™ Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Suhayya (Sue)

Abu-Hakima

Website

donnapdahl.com

Co-Founder and CEO, Alstari Corporation | Member of the Order of Ontario alstari.com

Eldeen Pozniak Owner and Senior Consultant, Pozniak Safety Associates Inc. pozniaksafety.com

Elizabeth BlakeThomas Storyteller and Philanthropist, Mother and Daughter Entertainment | UWN Global Ambassador motheranddaughterent.com

Eni Oszlai Musical Financial Doctor empoweringwomentosucceed.com

Geneviève Cabana-Proulx President, Executive Producer, SOMA PUB | Universal Women-Owned™ soma.ca

Gina Perrault Founder, Restorative Sports Therapy restorativesportstherapy.com

Gloria Steinem Writer, Lecturer, Political Activist and Feminist Organizer gloriasteinem.com

Haley Daniels Olympic Athlete, Canoe Slalom haleydaniels.ca

Hazel McCallion The Former Mayor of The City of Mississauga, Ontario from 1978 until 2014

Jackie Sanz Managing Director, Risk and Compliance, Protiviti protiviti.com

Jaime Leverton Chief Executive Officer, Hut 8 Mining hut8mining.com

Janelle Doyle Operations, T. Doyle Transport Ltd. doyletransport.com

Jenn Lofgren Founder, & Executive Coach, Incito | 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ Authentic Leader incito.ca

Jennifer Ménard-Shand Founder and CEO, Director, Client Happiness, Staff Shop staffshop.ca

Jennifer Jackson President, Universal Geomatics Solutions Corp. ugsc.ca

Jocelyn Flanagan Founder and CEO, e=mc2 Events | 2019 Women of Inspiration™ Authentic Leader Award emc2events.com

Judith Virag Owner, Clean Club Calgary | 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ Customer Experience Award cleanclubcalgary.com

Kaiya Gamble Singer and Songwriter, Kaiya Gamble | 2019 Women of Inspiration™ Youth Excellence Award | UWN Youth Ambassador

kaiyagamble.com

Kara Alicia Kennish Owner and Operator, Tim Hortons Franchise timhortons.com

Karen Fonseth Chief Executive Officer, DASCH | 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ Lifetime Achievement Award dasch.mb.ca

Karen Sherbut President and Co-Founder, Safe Haven Foundation of Canada | 2019 Woman of Inspiration™ Inspire Award safehavenfoundation.ca

Katherine (Katie)

Dudtschak Executive Vice President, Regional Banking, RBC Royal Bank rbc.com

Katy Campeau General Manager, Lettrapub turbo-images.com

Kendra Scurfield Director of Brand and Communications, Banff Sunshine Village" skibanff.com

Kim Ruse CEO, Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter (CWES) calgarywomensshelter.com

Kimberly Reeves Owner and Operator, Castrol Raceway castrolraceway.com

Koleya Karringten CEO, Absolute Combustion International absolutecombustion.com

Krista Malden Founder, Community Now! Magazine | 2020 Women of Inspiration™ Cultural Ambassador communitynowmagazine.com

Name Title, Company Website

Kween CEO, The Kween Company thekweencompany.com

Kyla Lee Criminal Lawyer, Barrister and Solicitor, Acumen Law Corporation | 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ Indigenous Leader Award

kylalee.ca

Laura Didyk Vice President and National Lead Women Entrepreneurs, BDC bdc.ca

Lindsay Harle-Kadatz Brand Strategist, The Write Harle | 2019 Woman of Inspiration™ Influencer Award thewriteharle.com

Lindsay Jones Investment Banker, Scotiabank | 2020 Women of Inspiration™ Millennial Leader Award gbm.scotiabank.com

Lindsay Sill Vice-Chair, Steering Committee, The Nest Foundation™ thenestfoundation.org

Lori Campbell Associate Vice-President (Indigenous Engagement), University of Regina | 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ Indigenous Leader Award

uregina.ca

Lorin MacDonald Founder & CEO, HearVue Inc. | 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ Diversity and Inclusiveness Award hearvue.com

Louise H. Reid Founder, LHR, Leadership Development Expert & Author louisehreid.com

Maeghen Cotterill Owner, 5 Elements Martial Arts | 2019 Woman of Inspiration™ Nest Award 5elementscalgary.com

Margaret Adu President, Aomega Group Inc. | 2020 Women of Inspiration™ Black Women Leader Award aomegalodges.com

Manjit Minhas CEO and Co-founder Minhas Breweries and Distilleries minhasbrewery.com

Maria Sofia Corporate Leader, Health and Life Coach, Trauma Practitioner | 2019 Women of Inspiration™ Mentorship Award

mariasofia.ca

Marija Pavkovic Tovissi CEO, MaKami College | 2017 Woman of inspiration™ Advocate & Catalyst for Change Award makamicollege.com

Merren McArthur President and CEO, Lynx Air

Michelle Cameron Coulter CEO and Founder, Inspiring Possibilities/Gold Medal Inspirations michellecameroncoulter.com

Michelle Minke Owner and Medium, Michelle Minke Health and Wellness | 2018 Woman of Inspiration™ Cultural Ambassador Award

michelleminke.ca

Monica Dauenhauer Pilot, Kenn Borek Air Ltd. | 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ Dream Builder Award borekair.com

Monica Kretschmer Founder and CEO, Universal Womens Network™ Inc. | Women of Inspiration™Awards | SupportHER™ universalwomensnetwork.com

Monique Auffrey CEO, Author, Board Member of COSW | 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ Advocate and Catalyst for Change Award

Nadiya Manji CEO and Founder, Profound Wellness profoundwellness.ca

Nancy E. Klensch Creator and Innovator, Summit Kids summitkids.ca

Patricia Gagic International Artist | 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ Lifetime Achievement Award patriciakarengagic.com

Patti Jannetta Founder and President, JANTA Entertainment Group pattijannetta.com

Name Title, Company

Website

Phoebe A. Wasfy Principal, Philopateer Christian College pccnet.ca

Rhonda Goldberg Founder, Oh! Naturals Flavoured Snacks Inc. | 2019 Woman of Inspiration™ Inspire Award | Universal Women-Owned™

Rhonda Head Singer, Songwriter and Show Host, Indigenous Superstars | 2019 Woman of Inspiration™ Indigenous Leader Award | Opaskwayak Cree Nation 21

oh-naturals.com

indigenoussuperstars.com

Roberta Battaglia Singer robertab.official.com

Rose Marie (Rose) Gage Founder and Principal of Great Governance Matters and MPOWRU, Board Member (Public, Private, N4P) greatgovernancematters.com

Ruth Vachon President and CEO, Réseau des femmes d'affaires du Québec (RFAQ) rfaq.ca

Sandrine Leroy President, ExpertMed Solutions Inc. expertmed.ca

Sarah Hawco Co- Founding Partner, Hawco Peters and Associates Inc. | 2019 Woman of Inspiration™ Nest Award | Universal Women-Led™

hawcopeters.com

Sharlene Massie Founder and CEO, About Staffing aboutstaffing.com

Shelley UvanileHesch CEO, Women's Trucking Federation of Canada | 2020 Women of Inspiration™ Rural Leader Award wtfc.ca

Shirley Der President and Owner, Foam Works Inc. foamworksinc.com

Siobhan Calderbank Director, Talent Management, LCBO | 2019 Woman of Inspiration™ Diversity and Inclusiveness Award

Sonya Richmond PhD Royal Canada Geographic Society Expedition Leader, Come Walk With Us | Sechelt, British Columbia | Canada

Sophia Fairweather Founder, StartUpBySophia | 2017 Woman of Inspiration™ Millennial Leader Award | UWN Youth Ambassador

siobhancalderbank.com

comewalkwithus.online

Suzie Yorke CEO and Founder, The Good Fat Co. Ltd lovegoodfats.com

Tara Slone TV Host, Singer, Loudmouth, Sportsnet sportsnet.ca

Teresa Spinelli President, Italian Centre Shop Ltd. | 2019 Woman of Inspiration™ Cultural Ambassador Award italiancentre.ca

Theano Evagelou Certified Authentic Tantra Practitioner and Relationship Coach thetheano.com

Tina Powell Founder and Chief Content Curator, Canadian Women Glorious is She tinapowell.com

Trish Guise High Conflict Divorce Strategist trishguise.com

Unstoppable Tracy Schmitt BEd, MBA Motivational Speaker, TV Host, Decorated Paralympic Trialist | 2019 Women of Inspiration™ Change Agent Award

unstoppableTracy.com

Victoria Nguyen Vice President, Delivery, Capital Markets cibc.com

Marc Bombenon Chairman, Founder, Surecall Contact Centres Inc.| 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ SupportHER™ Award surecallcc.com

Dominic Vogel Founder & Chief Strategist, CyberSC | 2020 Woman of Inspiration™ SupportHER™ Award | UWN National Ambassador

CyberSC.com

Brian Milloy Co-founder, President and CEO, Levvel Inc. levvel.ca